Epsilon S

Active

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Sept. 14, 2013

Description

The Epsilon S 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. The first stage is based on SRB-3, the strap-on solid-rocket booster of H3

Specifications
  • Stages
    4
  • Length
    24.4 m
  • Diameter
    2.5 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    2.5 m
  • Launch Mass
    91.0 T
  • Thrust
    2158.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Epsilon S
  • Family
  • Variant
    S
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Epsilon S
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $39000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity
    600.0 kg

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Government
Administrator: Hiroshi Yamakawa
JAXA 2003

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.

Upcoming Spaceflights


Epsilon S | JV-LOTUSat-1

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency | Japan
Uchinoura Space Center, Japan
TBD February, 2025
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:

Vietnamese Synthetic Aperture Radar Earth observation satellite build by NEC Corporation of Japan, based on Japan's ASNARO 2 satellite and the NEXTAR NX-300L satellite bus. The satellite will contribute to measures against natural disasters and climate change in Vietnam.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Explore Share

Epsilon S | RAISE-4 & others

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency | Japan
Uchinoura Space Center, Japan
TBD December, 2025
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:

RAISE-4 (RApid Innovative payload demonstration Satellite-4) is a satellite for on-orbit demonstrations of 15 demonstration components and equipment selected by public solicitation. The satellite will be operated in response to requests from the demonstration theme proposers, and will provide experimental data of the demonstration devices and environmental data during the experiments. 10 of the demonstrations are re-flight of those planned for RAISE-3, which failed to reach orbit in October 2022.

Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Explore Share

Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 2 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-68
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 10 hours ago
Starlink Group 9-11
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 20 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 4B
Success
3 days, 17 hours ago
Haiyang 4-01
Launch Complex 9 - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Next generation Chinese ocean salinity measurements satellite to study ocean climatic changes and its effects on ecology and biological cycles.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 18 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-69
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 22 hours ago
Koreasat 6A
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

The Koreasat 6A spacecraft, built by Thales Alenia Space, will have 20 transponders for fixed satellite services and six for TV broadcasting to repla…