Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Epsilon-3 Launch and Flight in Computer Graphics

Japan has gone a long way honing its solid rocket booster technologies. The history goes back decades to 1955, when the very first pencil rocket successfully launched. JAXA’s Epsilon launch vehicle em...

イプシロンロケット3号機 高性能小型レーダ衛星(ASNARO-2) 打ち上げ中継

The live launch report for the third Epsilon Launch Vehicle with the NEC small radar satellite "ASNARO-2" Launch Date: Jan. 18, 2018 Launch Time: 6:06:11 a.m. (Japan Standard Time, JST) http://glo...

ASNARO-2

Overview

Destination: Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Mission: Earth Science

Sun-Synchronous Orbit Mu Center Uchinoura Space Center, Japan

ASNARO-2 (Advanced Satellite with New system ARchitecture for Observation) is an advanced small X-band radar satellite for Earth observation for Japan. Satellite weighs about 495 kg and is to operate in sun-synchronous orbit.

Epsilon

Family:
Configuration:

The Epsilon rocket is a Japanese solid-fuel rocket designed to launch scientific satellites. It is a follow-on project to the larger and more expensive M-V rocket which was retired in 2006. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) began developing the Epsilon in 2007. It is capable of placing a 590 kg payload into Sun-synchronous orbit.

Specifications
  • Minimum Stage
    3
  • Max Stage
    4
  • Length
    24.4 m
  • Diameter
    2.5 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    2.5 m
  • Launch Mass
    91.0 T
  • Thrust
    2271.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Epsilon
  • Family
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Epsilon
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $39000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    590.0 kg

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

(JAXA)

Administrator: Hiroshi Yamakawa Founded: 2003 Successes: 33 Failures: 4 Pending: 2

Agency Type:

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is Japan's national aero-space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and the launch of satellites into orbit, and is involved in many more advanced missions, such as asteroid exploration and possible manned exploration of the Moon. JAXA launch their Epsilon vehicle from the Uchinoura Space Center and their H-II vehicles from the Tanegashima Space Center.

INFO WIKI

Uchinoura Space Center, Japan

Mu Center


Falcon 9
Success
14 hours, 21 minutes ago
Starlink Group 10-58
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Space Launch System (SLS)
Success
1 day, 3 hours ago
Artemis II
Launch Complex 39B - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Artemis II is the first crewed mission as part of the Artemis program. Artemis II will send a crew of 4 - 3 Americans and 1 Canadian around the moon …


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 5 hours ago
Starlink Group 10-44
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 15 hours ago
Transporter 16 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare)
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Dedicated rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.


Kinetica 2
Success
3 days, 15 hours ago
Demo Flight (Qingzhou Prototype Spacecraft)
Launch Area 140 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

First test launch and mission of CAS Space’s Kinetica-2 rocket, with 3 spacecraft on board: * New March 02 (Qingzhou space station cargo resupply …


Electron
Success
5 days, 17 hours ago
Daughter Of The Stars (LEO-PNT Pathfinder A)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

The European Space Agency (ESA)'s LEO-PNT (Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing) demonstrator mission will feature a 10-satellite const…


Long March 2C/YZ-1S
Success
6 days, 22 hours ago
Shiyan 33
Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese satellite reported to be for "space environment research" purposes. Actual usage not known.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 17-17
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 2D
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
SuperView Neo 2-05 & 06
Launch Complex 9 - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Commercial Synthetic-aperture radar Earth observation satellites built by CAST for China Siwei Survey and Mapping Technology Co. Ltd.


Soyuz 2.1b
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
16 x Rassvet-3
43/4 (43R) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Note: Payload identities uncertain. Batch of 16 Rassvet-3 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Russian Byuro-1440 (Bureau 1440) conste…