From a small island at Japan's southwestern edge, a rocket carried more than a satellite into orbit — it carried the quiet reassurance that failure, when met with discipline, need not define a program's future. JAXA's H3 rocket placed the Michibiki No. 7 positioning satellite into orbit on Tuesday, the second consecutive success after a December stumble that had shaken confidence in Japan's flagship launch vehicle. The mission advances Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System toward the seven-satellite threshold at which the nation can navigate its own future — literally — without depending on fo