Japan’s space agency is set to launch the second model of its next-generation H3 rocket on Saturday in a critical test of the nation’s satellite-launching and space exploration capabilities after the failure of its first model nearly a year ago.

Weather permitting, the H3 liquid fuel rocket, developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, will lift off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 9:22 a.m., though the launch window will be open between then and 1:06 p.m., the agency said.

H3 will carry a 2.6-ton dummy satellite called VEP-4, weighing about the same as Earth observation satellite Daichi-3, to help test the rocket’s flight performance. Daichi-3 was lost during the failed launch of the first unit last March.

H3 will also carry two small satellites as piggyback payloads.

If everything goes according to plan, the launch vehicle will fly over the Pacific, separating and jettisoning its boosters and fairing — a pointed nose cone at the top of the rocket that protects the payload system — in the first few minutes after launch.

Then, about 17 minutes after liftoff, the vehicle will shoot into orbit the first of its two microsatellites CE-SAT-IE, equipped with a sensor capable of taking images. This will be followed by the release, eight minutes later, of the other microsatellite, TIRSAT, which is equipped with a thermal infrared camera to analyze the temperature of Earth’s surface.

With H3, JAXA aims to maintain Japan’s prowess in rocket development technologies and give a jolt to related industries.

JAXA has raced against the clock to resume H3 launches, as the current H-IIA rocket will be retired in the next fiscal year starting in April. The agency says it has dealt with the possible causes of last year’s failure by strengthening the insulation of parts and removing less important components.

While the agency says H3 will offer flexible, reliable and cost-efficient transport options for satellites, international competition is already intense, with SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket providing countries and businesses with cheaper options to get their satellites into space. H3’s rivals also include Europe's Ariane 6, which is expected to make its debut later this year.

During last year's launch, the second-stage engine failed to ignite, forcing mission control to manually destroy the vehicle.

JAXA originally planned to mount the Daichi-4 satellite on the second model of H3. But the plan was changed after the loss of Daichi-3, which cost ¥28.2 billion ($187.6 million) to develop.

Masashi Okada, project manager in charge of H3’s development at JAXA, told reporters on Tuesday that the team has done everything it could to track down the possible causes of last year’s failure and taken measures to avoid a recurrence.

JAXA narrowed down the possible causes to three, including a short circuit in the ignition device.

"We've been looking over (problems with) the rocket for one year,” Okada said. “We want to achieve success with one try this time.”