発射
はっしゃ · hassha · JLPT N3 · noun
fire
🚀 発射 = set off (発, as in 出発 departure) + shoot (射, as in 射手 archer)
発 means to emit or set something going, and 射 means to shoot an arrow or beam. Together they mean to fire something off. It's the standard word for a rocket launch (ロケット発射) and for firing a gun or missile.
射 — body 身 + inch/hand 寸
Originally a pictograph of a hand drawing a bow with an arrow. The ancient form showed 弓 (bow) plus 矢 (arrow) or a hand. Over time it was reshaped into 身 (body) plus 寸 (hand/measure), and the meaning 'to shoot' was extended to 'emit' or 'project'.