H3

Active H3

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 T
  • Thrust
Family
  • Name
    H3
  • Family
    H3
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    H3
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $50000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    6500 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 | Michibiki 5 (QZS-5)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | JPN
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
TBD January, 2024
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:

QZSS (Quasi Zenith Satellite System) is a Japanese satellite navigation system operating from inclined, elliptical geosynchronous orbits to achieve optimal high-elevation visibility in urban canyons and mountainous areas. The navigation system objective is to broadcast GPS-interoperable and augmentation signals as well as original Japanese (QZSS) signals from a three-spacecraft constellation. The navigation system objective is to broadcast GPS-interoperable and augmentation signals as well as original Japanese (QZSS) signals from a three-spacecraft constellation in inclined, elliptical geosynchronous orbits.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit
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H3 | DSN 3 (Kirameki 3)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | JPN
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
TBD January, 2024
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:

DSN 3, also known as Kirameki 3, is a geostationary communications satellite to be used for military communications by the Japanese military.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit
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H3 | Michibiki 7 (QZS-7)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | JPN
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
TBD April, 2024
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:

QZSS (Quasi Zenith Satellite System) is a Japanese satellite navigation system operating from inclined, elliptical geosynchronous orbits to achieve optimal high-elevation visibility in urban canyons and mountainous areas. The navigation system objective is to broadcast GPS-interoperable and augmentation signals as well as original Japanese (QZSS) signals from a three-spacecraft constellation. The navigation system objective is to broadcast GPS-interoperable and augmentation signals as well as original Japanese (QZSS) signals from a three-spacecraft constellation in inclined, elliptical geosynchronous orbits.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit
Explore Share

H3 | Michibiki 6 (QZS-6)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | JPN
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
TBD April, 2024
Status: To Be Determined
Mission:

QZSS (Quasi Zenith Satellite System) is a Japanese satellite navigation system operating from inclined, elliptical geosynchronous orbits to achieve optimal high-elevation visibility in urban canyons and mountainous areas. The navigation system objective is to broadcast GPS-interoperable and augmentation signals as well as original Japanese (QZSS) signals from a three-spacecraft constellation. The navigation system objective is to broadcast GPS-interoperable and augmentation signals as well as original Japanese (QZSS) signals from a three-spacecraft constellation in inclined, elliptical geosynchronous orbits.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit
Explore Share

H3 | Inmarsat satellite

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | JPN
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
TBD December, 2024
Status: To Be Determined
Unknown Mission

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


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H3 | Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX)

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

The Lunar Polar Exploration mission (LUPEX) is a robotic lunar mission jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), deploying a lunar rover and lander to explore the south pole region of the Moon. JAXA will provide the under-development H3 launch vehicle and the rover, while ISRO would be responsible for the lander.

Lunar Orbit
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H3 | ETS-9

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

The Engineering Test Satellite 9 (ETS-9) is a JAXA project aimed to develop an advanced satellite bus, or common model, for various high-throughput satellites (HTS) for communications. The new satellite bus by Mitsubishi Electric will focus specifically on advanced communication needs: - Up to 25kW of power to support HTS communications - Light mass, all-electric bus system achieved with 6kW high-power Hall thrusters (Japan-made). - High-power Hall thrusters significantly shorten delivery of orbiting satellite compared to other manufacturer’s 4.5kW-class electric-propulsion bus systems - The first Japanese geostationary satellite equipped with GPS receivers (Japan-made) for laborsaving autonomous orbital transfer and orbital maneuvering.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit
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Soyuz 2.1a
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Soyuz MS-24
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Soyuz MS-24 carried two cosmonauts and one astronaut to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in K…


Firefly Alpha
Success
1 week, 2 days ago
FLTA003 (VICTUS NOX)
Space Launch Complex 2W - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Third flight of the Firefly Alpha small sat launcher, carrying a payload for the US Department of Defense.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
Starlink Group 7-2
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 21 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Atlas V 551
Success
1 week, 6 days ago
NROL-107 (Silent Barker)
Space Launch Complex 41 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Classified space situational awareness (SSA) payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).


Long March 6A
Success
2 weeks ago
Yaogan 40
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

3 Chinese reconnaissance satellites of unknown purposes, officially reported as for "Electromagnetic environment probing" purposes.