SPACE.com -- Japan Recovers Rocket Engine from Sea

Japan to Send Robot to Recover Rocket Engine

Exploded Japanese Rocket Engine Found In Pacific Ocean

Japan to Abandon Troubled H 2 Rocket Project

The H-II Failure: Japan's Commercial Launch Industry Take a Hit


	Japan Recovers Rocket Engine from Sea By Kenneth Silber Staff Writer posted: 12:44 pm ET 25 January 2000

h2_engine_000125

The wreckage from an H 2 rocket that failed in November has been retrieved from the Pacific Ocean, Japanese officials announced Tuesday.

The main engine was salvaged from the seabed about 230 miles (380 kilometers) northwest of the Ogasawara Islands, in the northern Pacific, according to Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA). The first-stage engine was pulled aboard a chartered salvage ship on the morning of Sunday, January 23.

The retrieved engine aboard the salvage vessel

The salvage vessel launched a robotic submersible on Saturday and detected the wreckage that night. The engine was discovered in water approximately 9,500 feet (2,900 meters) deep.

The H 2 rocket sank in the ocean on November 15. It malfunctioned shortly after launch from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, and was deliberately blown up by mission controllers.

The salvage ship is scheduled to return to Japan's Yokosuka port this week. The engine debris will be sent to an aerospace laboratory in Tokyo, where they will try to determine why the launch failed.

	New Galapagos Expedition Offers Lindblad Expeditions Explore the Galapagos and save up to 25% off select departure dates www.Expeditions.com

	BP There’s energy security in energy diversity.

	One-stop destination for the lowest domestic airfares Search all airlines, including Southwest now!

	HP ProLiant Servers The HP portfolio of servers-leading technology that respects the bottom line. Powerful ProLiant technology at a price that's worth a second look.