Japan’s New Flagship H3 Rocket Reaches Orbit in Key Test After Failed Debut Last Year

TOKYO—Japan’s flagship H3 rocket reached orbit and released two small observation satellites in a key second test following a failed debut launch last year, buoying hope for the country in the global space race. The H3 rocket blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on time Saturday morning, two days after its originally scheduled liftoff was delayed by bad weather. The rocket successfully reached orbit at an altitude of about 670 kilometers (about 420 miles) and released two satellites, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said. “We feel so relieved to be able to announce the good results,” JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa told a news conference....