Tag: H3
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Japan Sets October 20 Launch for Ambitious Mars Moon Sample-Return Mission
Japan has confirmed October 20, 2026, as the launch date for its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, setting the stage for one of the most ambitious robotic planetary missions yet attempted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The MMX spacecraft is scheduled to lift off aboard Japan’s H3 rocket at 4:41 a.m. Japan Standard…
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JAXA Sets October 20 Launch for MMX Mars Moon Sample-Return Mission
Japan is preparing to take a major step in planetary exploration with the launch of its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft on Oct. 20, 2026. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the mission will lift off aboard the No. 10 H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:41:03 a.m. local…
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Japan’s H3 to returns to flight with debut launch of lightest configuration
Japan’s H3 rocket successfully returned to flight Friday, with a launch that also marked the debut of a new configuration, optimized for smaller payloads. Liftoff took place at 00:53 UTC (9:53 a.m. local time) from the Tanegashima Space Center. Friday’s launch was the eighth flight of the H3, and its first since a failure last…
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H3 rocket suffers upper stage anomaly, fails to correctly deploy navigation satellite
An H3 rocket from Mitsubishi Heavy Technologies and JAXA lifts off with the QZS-5 navigation satellite. The rocket suffered a second stage anomaly that prevented a successful deployment at the correct altitude. Image: JAXA A flight of Japan’s H3 rocket ended in failure on Dec. 22 after the upper stage experienced an anomaly. In a…
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Launch Previews: Ariane 6, Falcon 9, Atlas V, and Electron launches highlight busy week
Global launch activity is set to surge over the next week, with 13 missions scheduled to launch from sites around the world. China’s Long March 12A is set to debut with stage recovery, South Korea’s first Hanbit-Nano commercial rocket is set to launch, and Europe’s Ariane 6 will launch a batch of Galileo satellites. SpaceX…
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Launch Roundup: Launch manifest to feature 10 launches during first week of December
The first week of December features 10 orbital launches from six different providers across four continents. SpaceX will launch five Starlink missions, deploying satellites to various orbital shells from California and Florida. Internationally, Arianespace launched South Korea’s KOMPSAT-7 Earth observation satellite on Vega C, Rocket Lab will fly JAXA’s RAISE-4 technology demonstrator on Electron, and…
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Launch Roundup: New Shepard to simulate lunar gravity, India and Japan launch navigation satellites
This week’s schedule has a mix of orbital and suborbital missions launching from seven different sites around the globe. In addition to launches from the Florida space coast, India and Japan have both launched navigation satellites. Rocket Lab is launching another batch of satellites for its French customer, Kinéis, while SpaceX has launched a next-generation replacement…
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Falcon 9’s return to flight reminds spaceflight industry of past anomalies
Nearly every rocket that has flown has had an anomaly. With thousands of components that all need to work in perfect harmony to have a successful mission, there is likely to be one component that is unable to perform every once in a while. While witnessing an anomaly in spaceflight is not as improbable as…
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Japan’s H3 Rocket Successfully Launches Earth Observation Satellite, ALOS-4
Japan’s H3 rocket achieved a milestone on Sunday with the successful launch of the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (ALOS-4), marking its third flight from the Tanegashima Space Center. The H3 rocket, launched at 0306 UTC on July 1, carried the ALOS-4, also known as DAICHI-4, which separated approximately 16 minutes and 34 seconds after liftoff,…
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Japan’s H3 Rocket Successfully Launches Earth Observation Satellite, ALOS-4
Japan’s H3 rocket achieved a milestone on Sunday with the successful launch of the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (ALOS-4), marking its third flight from the Tanegashima Space Center. The H3 rocket, launched at 0306 UTC on July 1, carried the ALOS-4, also known as DAICHI-4, which separated approximately 16 minutes and 34 seconds after liftoff,…