JAXA's second attempt at launching the H3 rocket has ended up becoming a major setback for Japan's space ambitions. While the rocket was able to leave the launch pad, the country's space authorities were forced to activate its flight termination system a few minutes later after its second stage engine failed to ignite. In an announcement, JAXA said the self-destruct command was transmitted to the rocket at 10:52 AM Japan time (8:52PM ET) "because there was no possibility of achieving the mission." The agency is still investigating the incident to figure out what went wrong.