H3 F3 ALOS4 Missiom

The H3 launch vehicle was launched at 12:06:42 p.m. on the 1st (JST) from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. The H3 is the successor to the H2A, which has been in operation since 2001. This was its “full-scale debut” with the main satellite onboard.

H3 Launch Vehicle No. 3 with the Daichi No. 4 onboard at the Tanegashima Space Center in Minami-Tanegi-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture on January 1 (courtesy of JAXA)
H3 Launch Vehicle No. 3 with the Daichi No. 4 onboard at the Tanegashima Space Center in Minami-Tanegi-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture, on January 1 (Courtesy of JAXA)

The H3 separated its 1- and 2-stage fuselages about 5 minutes after liftoff, and after the 2-stage engine burned successfully for about 11 minutes, the H3 injected the Daichi No. 4 into its scheduled orbit at 16 minutes and 34 seconds after liftoff. The second stage fuselage was then re-ignited, and the spacecraft fell off the western coast of Australia as planned.

At the press conference, Hiroshi Yamakawa, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), said, “We will continue to work hard on the operation of the DAICHI-4, and the H3 rocket has taken a very significant step toward maintaining Japan's autonomy and international competitiveness in space development. I believe that the H3 rocket will be viewed with confidence both at home and abroad because of its consecutive successes. We will continue development in a steady manner for the future.

Project Manager Makoto Arita, who took over responsibility for JAXA's H3 from current Director Tadashi Okada in April of this year, said, “We are relieved that we have taken the first step toward success, which is the only way to win trust in our rockets. Asked by a reporter to rate the launch, he smiled and said, “It was a 100-point launch.