By TETSUYA ISHIKURA/ Staff Writer
February 3, 2025 at 16:21 JST
Japan's flagship H3 rocket put a key component of Japan's satellite navigation program to eventually wean the nation off its dependence on foreign satellites into orbit on Feb. 2 on its fifth mission.
The launch from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture marked the H3's fourth consecutive successful launch.
The rocket carried the Michibiki No. 6 satellite into its planned orbit approximately 400 kilometers above the Earth.
The H3 is the successor to the H-2A rocket and was jointly developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
Following an initial launch failure, the H3 has achieved a string of successes, demonstrating its growing reliability and viability in the global market.
The Michibiki No. 6 is a positioning satellite that enhances the accuracy of location information for smartphones.
It is the fifth spacecraft in the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, a satellite network with multiple orbits designed to ensure that at least one satellite is positioned near the zenith over Japan at all times.
Currently dependent on foreign satellites for precise data, Japan plans to complete a fully independent seven-satellite network by March 2026.
The development cost for three Michibiki satellites is approximately 100 billion yen ($642 million). Future plans call for an 11-satellite system, which is expected to improve smartphone location accuracy from the current 5 to 10 meters to within 1 meter.
In 2024, Japan conducted five major rocket launches, including three H3s and two H-2As, second only to the six H-2A launches in 2017. By March 2026, JAXA plans to launch one more H-2A and four H3 rockets.
The H3 is set to become Japan's main launch vehicle, as the aging H-2A approaches its final mission and the smaller Epsilon rocket program remains stalled after multiple failed combustion tests.
JAXA aims to build upon the H3's success, achieving the same high reliability as the H-2A's 98 percent success rate, to secure more commercial launch contracts.
To support this goal, the government has included funding in the budget proposal for fiscal 2025 to increase the H3's launch capacity from the current limit of six launches per year to at least seven.
This will involve expanding facilities at the Tanegashima Space Center, such as increasing fuel tank capacity, to enable launches as frequently as once per month.
New flagship H-3 rocket buoys Japan’s hope in global space race
February 18, 2024
JAXA delays launch of upgraded observation satellite on new H3 rocket
June 29, 2024
Japan announces plans to launch upgraded observation satellites on new flagship rocket’s 3rd flight
April 26, 2024
Japan hopes to forge profitable launch business with new H3 rocket
March 22, 2024
H-3 rocket launched in 3rd attempt, sends satellite to orbit
July 1, 2024
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
An H3 rocket successfully lifts off on Feb. 2 at Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on its mission to put the Michibiki No. 6 navigation satellite into orbit. (Takeshi Komiya)
