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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Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 8 hours ago
NROL-69
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office


Ceres-1
Success
4 days, 14 hours ago
Yunyao-1 43-48
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

6 weather satellites performing atmospheric measurements using GNSS Radio Occultation for a Tianjin based company. Constellation is planned to have a…


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 18 hours ago
NROL-57
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Eighth batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office t…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 12-25
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

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


Electron
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
High Five (Kinéis 21-25)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Last of five batches of five satellites for the French Kinéis IoT constellation designed to operate with 25 nanosatellites of 30 kg each.