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 T
  • Thrust
    2158 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 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 December, 2024
Status: To Be Determined
Unknown Mission

There are no mission or payload details available for this launch.


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

Epsilon S | DESTINY+

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

DESTINY+ (Demonstration and Experiment of Space Technology for INterplanetary voYage with Phaethon fLyby and dUst Science) is a planned asteroid exploration mission to 3200 Phaethon, the parent body of the Geminids meteor shower. It will demonstrate further improvements of low cost solar electric propulsion in deep space and innovative light-weight solar array panel technology. The spacecraft will carry 3 science instruments: * DESTINY Dust Analyzer (DDA) * Telescopic Camera for Phaethon (TCAP) * Multiband Camera for Phaethon (MCAP)

Asteroid
Explore Share

Falcon 9
Success
5 hours, 49 minutes ago
Starlink Group 6-59
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1b
Success
1 day, 9 hours ago
Kosmos 2576
43/4 (43R) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Russian military payload of unknown purposes.


Falcon 9
Success
3 days, 11 hours ago
Starlink Group 8-7
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.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 5 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-58
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 4C
Success
6 days, 6 hours ago
Shiyan 23
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Satellite officially named for "space environment detection" purposes, exact details unknown.