H3

Active

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)

None

Description

The H3 Launch Vehicle is an expendable launch system in development in Japan. H3 rockets are liquid-propellant rockets with strap-on solid rocket boosters and are planned to be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Mitsubishi and the JAXA have been responsible for the design, manufacture, and operation of the H3.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    63.0 m
  • Diameter
    5.27 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.27 m
  • Launch Mass
    574.0 T
  • Thrust
Family
  • Name
    H3
  • Family
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    H3
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $50000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    6500.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Commercial
President: Seiji Izumisawa
MHI 1884

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group. MHI's products include aerospace components, air conditioners, aircraft, automotive components, forklift trucks, hydraulic equipment, machine tools, missiles, power generation equipment, printing machines, ships and space launch vehicles. Through its defense-related activities, it is the world's 23rd-largest defense contractor measured by 2011 defense revenues and the largest based in Japan.

Upcoming Spaceflights


H3 | Inmarsat satellite

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Japan
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
TBD December, 2025
Status: To Be Determined
Unknown Mission

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


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H3 | MBR Explorer

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Japan
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
TBD March, 2028
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:

An United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA) planetary mission to visit main belt asteroids. Named after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the spacecraft will fly by six main belt asteroids between 2030 and 2033 before rendezvousing on a seventh, Justitia, in 2034, later deploying a lander.

Asteroid
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H3 | RAMSES

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Japan
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
TBD April, 2028
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:

European Space Agency mission to rendezvous with asteroid Apophis before its close fly-by of Earth.

Asteroid
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H3 | DESTINY+

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Japan
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
TBD December, 2028
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
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Long March 2D
Success
1 day, 16 hours ago
4 x SatNet test satellites
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellites". Probable 4 test satellites for the Chinese state-owned LEO communic…


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 18 hours ago
Fram2
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Fram2 is the world’s first astronaut mission to polar orbit. Named after the Norwegian polar research ship Fram, the Crew Dragon spacecraft will laun…


Falcon 9
Success
2 days ago
Starlink Group 6-80
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 28 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Spectrum
Failure
3 days, 9 hours ago
Maiden Flight
Orbital Launch Pad - Andøya Spaceport

First flight of the Isar Spectrum launch vehicle.


Long March 7A
Success
4 days, 4 hours ago
TJSW-16
201 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

Chinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.