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.


Explore Share

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
Explore Share

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
Explore Share

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
Explore Share

Falcon 9
Success
1 hour, 30 minutes ago
Project Kuiper (KF-02)
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Second of a three launches contract for Amazon's Kuiper low Earth orbit satellite internet constellation. 24 satellites are on board.


Smart Dragon 3
Success
2 days, 21 hours ago
Geely Constellation Group 04
Oriental Spaceport mobile launch ship - Sea Launch

11 LEO communications satellites for Chinese car manufacturer Geely Automotive for testing autonomous driving/inter-vehicle communication services. T…


Electron
Success
6 days, 9 hours ago
The Harvest Goddess Thrives (iQPS Launch 4)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.


Long March 12
Success
1 week ago
SatNet LEO Group 07
Commercial LC-2 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 10-30
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.