H-II

Last updated
H-II
HII Tsukuba museum.jpg
H-II rocket at Tsukuba science museum & planetarium
Function Medium-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer
Country of originJapan
Size
Height49 m (161 ft)
Diameter4 m (13 ft)
Mass260,000 kg (570,000 lb)
Stages2
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass10,060 kg (22,180 lb)
Flight No.Date / time (UTC)Rocket,
Configuration
Launch sitePayloadPayload massOrbitCustomerLaunch
outcome
TF1 (Test Flight)3 February 1994
22:20
H-II Yoshinobu Launch Complex OREX (Orbital Re-entry Experiment), VEP (Vehicle Evaluation Payload) LEO / GTO Success
Ryūsei, Myōjō
TF228 August 1994
07:50
H-II Yoshinobu Launch Complex ETS-VI (Engineering Test Satellite-VI) GEO Success
Kiku 6
TF318 March 1995
08:01
H-II Yoshinobu Launch Complex GMS-5 (Geostationary Meteorological Satellite-5) / SFU (Space Flyer Unit) GEO / LEO Success
Himawari 5
F417 August 1996
01:53
H-II Yoshinobu Launch Complex ADEOS I (Advanced Earth Observing Satellite) / Fuji OSCAR 29, JAS-2 LEO Success
Midori, Fuji 3
F6November 27, 1997
21:27
H-II Yoshinobu Launch Complex TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) / ETS-VII (Engineering Test Satellite-VII) LEO Success
Kiku 7 (Orihime & Hikoboshi)
F5February 21, 1998
07:55
H-II Yoshinobu Launch Complex COMETS (Communications and Broadcasting Engineering Test Satellites) GEO Partial failure
Kakehashi, Faulty brazing in second-stage engine cooling system caused engine burn through and cable damage resulting in shutdown midway through the upper stage's second burn, leaving spacecraft in elliptical LEO instead of GTO. Spacecraft thrusters raised orbit enough to complete some communications experiments.
F8November 15, 1999
07:29
H-II Yoshinobu Launch Complex MTSAT (Multi-functional Transport Satellite) GEO Failure
Cavitation in the first stage hydrogen turbopump impeller caused an impeller blade to fracture, resulting in loss of fuel and rapid shutdown of the engine at T+239 s. The vehicle impacted the ocean 380 km NW of Chichijima.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "H-II Launch Vehicle No.4" (Press release). NASDA. Archived from the original on 11 December 2003. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  2. 1 2 JAXA. "H-II Launch Vehicle". Launch Vehicles and Space Transportation Systems. JAXA Website. Archived from the original on 2013-10-30. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  3. "About H-II Launch Vehicle". JAXA. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  4. Helm, Leslie (1992-07-13). "Japan Discovers It's Harder to Be a Star in Space : Aerospace: The failure of a new rocket sets back its effort to become a key player in the commercial launch business". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  5. "Hughes cancels NASDA rocket deal". The Japan Times. 2000-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-14.