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H-II

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H-2 Liftoff Credit: NASDA

AKA: H-2. Status: Retired 1999. First Launch: 1994-02-03. Last Launch: 1999-11-15. Number: 7 . Payload: 10,060 kg (22,170 lb). Thrust: 3,970.00 kN (892,490 lbf). Gross mass: 260,000 kg (570,000 lb). Height: 49.00 m (160.00 ft). Diameter: 4.00 m (13.10 ft). Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).

3 stage vehicle consisted of 2 x H-II SRB + 1 x H-II stage 1 + 1 x H-II stage 2

LEO Payload: 10,060 kg (22,170 lb) to a 200 km orbit at 30.40 degrees. Payload: 3,930 kg (8,660 lb) to a GTO. Development Cost $: 2,300.000 million. Launch Price $: 190.000 million in 1994 dollars in 1998 dollars.

Stage Data - H-2

• Stage 0. 2 x H-2-0. Gross Mass: 70,400 kg (155,200 lb). Empty Mass: 11,250 kg (24,800 lb). Thrust (vac): 1,539.997 kN (346,205 lbf). Isp: 273 sec. Burn time: 94 sec. Isp(sl): 237 sec. Diameter: 1.81 m (5.93 ft). Span: 1.81 m (5.93 ft). Length: 23.36 m (76.64 ft). Propellants: Solid. No Engines: 1. Engine: H-2-0. Status: In Production.

• Stage 1. 1 x H-2-1. Gross Mass: 98,100 kg (216,200 lb). Empty Mass: 11,900 kg (26,200 lb). Thrust (vac): 1,077.996 kN (242,343 lbf). Isp: 446 sec. Burn time: 346 sec. Isp(sl): 349 sec. Diameter: 4.00 m (13.10 ft). Span: 4.00 m (13.10 ft). Length: 28.00 m (91.00 ft). Propellants: Lox/LH2. No Engines: 1. Engine: LE-7. Other designations: LE-7. Status: In Production.

• Stage 2. 1 x H-2-2. Gross Mass: 16,700 kg (36,800 lb). Empty Mass: 2,700 kg (5,900 lb). Thrust (vac): 121.500 kN (27,314 lbf). Isp: 452 sec. Burn time: 600 sec. Diameter: 4.00 m (13.10 ft). Span: 4.00 m (13.10 ft). Length: 10.60 m (34.70 ft). Propellants: Lox/LH2. No Engines: 1. Engine: LE-5A. Other designations: LE-5EC. Status: In Production.

Family: orbital launch vehicle. Country: Japan. Engines: LE-7, LE-5A. Spacecraft: ETS, Himawari, HTV, FS-1300, OREX, VEP, SFU, ADEOS, Fuji, ETS-7, ETS-7 Target, TRMM, Kakehashi, LRE, DASH 2002, MDS, DRTS, USERS, FedSat, Mu-Labsat, WEOS Kanta-Kun, IGS, Daichi, DS2000, Kaguya, Kizuna, Ibuki, JAXA SDS, Kagayaki, KKS, Kukai, PRISM, SOHLA, SpriteSat. Launch Sites: Tanegashima, Tanegashima Y. Stages: H-2-1, LE-5EC, H-2-0. Agency: GMS, Mitsubishi. More at: 8319. Bibliography: 2, 276, 296, 42, 455, 552, 554, 6, 61.

Photo Gallery

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H-2 Cutaway view Credit: NASDA

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H-2 H-2 - COSPAR 1994-007

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• OREX - . Payload: Ryusei. Mass: 865 kg (1,906 lb). Nation: Japan. Class: Technology. Type: Re-entry test vehicle. Spacecraft Bus: OREX. Spacecraft: OREX. Decay Date: 1994-02-03 . USAF Sat Cat: 22978 . COSPAR: 1994-007A. Apogee: 451 km (280 mi). Perigee: 450 km (270 mi). Inclination: 30.5000 deg. Period: 93.50 min. Orbital Reentry Experiment. Orbital Re-entry Experiment Vehicle (OREX) Ryusei. Acquisition of data related to atmospheric reentry. Launch vehicle H-II rocket test flight H-II 1F. Launching organization NASDA. Launch time 2220:00 UT. .

• VEP - . Payload: Myojo / LAPS. Mass: 2,391 kg (5,271 lb). Nation: Japan. Agency: NASDA. Class: Technology. Type: Navigation technology satellite. Spacecraft Bus: VEP. Spacecraft: VEP. USAF Sat Cat: 22979 . COSPAR: 1994-007B. Apogee: 36,261 km (22,531 mi). Perigee: 449 km (278 mi). Inclination: 28.6000 deg. Period: 645.00 min.

  Vehicle Evaluation Payload; monitored H-2 performance. Vehicle Evaluation Payload (VEP) MYOJO. Provides a ranging function as well as functions to measure the acceleration and deformation, in order to confirm the accuracy of the H-II rocket orbit injection and understand the environment of the payload equipme nt. Launch vehicle H-II rocket test flight H-II 1F. Launching organization NASDA. Launch time 2220:00 UT.

• Kiku 6 - . Payload: ETS 6. Mass: 3,800 kg (8,300 lb). Nation: Japan. Agency: NASDA. Class: Technology. Type: Navigation technology satellite. Spacecraft Bus: ETS. Spacecraft: ETS. USAF Sat Cat: 23230 . COSPAR: 1994-056A. Apogee: 38,677 km (24,032 mi). Perigee: 8,565 km (5,322 mi). Inclination: 13.2300 deg. Period: 861.84 min. Failed to reach geostationary orbit; Engineering Test Satellite; partial mission success. Also tested ion engines for NSSK..

• SFU - . Mass: 4,000 kg (8,800 lb). Nation: Japan. Agency: NASDA. Class: Materials. Type: Materials science satellite. Spacecraft Bus: SFU. Spacecraft: SFU. Decay Date: 1996-01-20 . USAF Sat Cat: 23521 . COSPAR: 1995-011A. Apogee: 483 km (300 mi). Perigee: 471 km (292 mi). Inclination: 28.5000 deg. Period: 94.10 min. Space Flyer Unit; carried materials, astronomy, biological experiments; retrieved by STS-72 1/20/96..

• Himawari 5 - . Payload: GMS 5. Mass: 746 kg (1,644 lb). Nation: Japan. Agency: NASDA. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Himawari. Spacecraft: Himawari. USAF Sat Cat: 23522 . COSPAR: 1995-011B. Apogee: 35,791 km (22,239 mi). Perigee: 35,784 km (22,235 mi). Inclination: 0.6000 deg. Period: 1,436.00 min.

  Geostationary Meteorological Satellite; carried search and rescue package. Stationed at 140.2 deg E. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 160 deg E in 1995; 140 deg E in 1995-1999 As of 5 September 2001 located at 139.99 deg E drifting at 0.028 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 45.88E drifting at 3.134W degrees per day.

• ADEOS - . Mass: 135 kg (297 lb). Nation: Japan. Agency: NASDA. Class: Earth. Type: Atmosphere satellite. Spacecraft Bus: ADEOS. Spacecraft: ADEOS. USAF Sat Cat: 24277 . COSPAR: 1996-046A. Apogee: 800 km (490 mi). Perigee: 799 km (496 mi). Inclination: 98.6000 deg. Period: 100.90 min.

• JAS-2 - . Nation: Japan. Agency: JARL. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Fuji. Spacecraft: Fuji. USAF Sat Cat: 24278 . COSPAR: 1996-046B. Apogee: 1,323 km (822 mi). Perigee: 801 km (497 mi). Inclination: 98.6000 deg. Period: 106.50 min. Japanese amateur radio satellite..

• TRMM - . Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Earth. Type: Atmosphere satellite. Spacecraft Bus: TRMM. Spacecraft: TRMM. Decay Date: 2015-06-16 . USAF Sat Cat: 25063 . COSPAR: 1997-074A. Apogee: 403 km (250 mi). Perigee: 395 km (245 mi). Inclination: 35.0000 deg. Period: 92.50 min. TRMM was an international mission dedicated to measuring tropical and subtropical rainfall. The spacecraft and four instruments were provided by the USA, while Japan provided one instrument and launch services..

• Hikoboshi - . Payload: ETS-7. Nation: Japan. Agency: NASDA. Manufacturer: Toshiba. Class: Technology. Type: Navigation technology satellite. Spacecraft Bus: ETS-7. Spacecraft: ETS-7. Decay Date: 2015-11-13 . USAF Sat Cat: 25064 . COSPAR: 1997-074B. Apogee: 548 km (340 mi). Perigee: 545 km (338 mi). Inclination: 35.0000 deg. Period: 95.50 min.

  The Orihime and Hikoboshi satellites undocked and redocked on July 7 1998 in the FP-1 test of automated docking systems. Despite claims of the NASDA space agency that this is a first, automated Russian craft have docked on many occasions since the Kosmos-186/188 docking in 1968.

• Orihime - . Payload: ETS-7 Target. Nation: Japan. Agency: NASDA. Manufacturer: Toshiba. Class: Technology. Type: Navigation technology satellite. Spacecraft Bus: ETS-7 Target. Spacecraft: ETS-7 Target. Decay Date: 1999-01-27 . USAF Sat Cat: 25424 . COSPAR: 1997-074E. Apogee: 458 km (284 mi). Perigee: 346 km (214 mi). Inclination: 34.5000 deg. Period: 92.60 min. Attached to Hikoboshi. It would later separate and serve as a passive docking target for the Hikobishi active automatic docking technology spacecraft..

• Kakehashi - . Payload: COMETS. Nation: Japan. Agency: NASDA. Manufacturer: NEC, Toshiba. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Kakehashi. Spacecraft: Kakehashi. USAF Sat Cat: 25175 . COSPAR: 1998-011A. Apogee: 17,727 km (11,015 mi). Perigee: 1,033 km (641 mi). Inclination: 30.1000 deg. Period: 328.10 min.

  Kakehashi, meaning 'Bridge', was called Communuications and Broadcasting Experimental Test Satellite (COMETS) before launch. It contained Ka-band communications and inter-satellite data relay payloads. Premature shutdown 44 seconds into the H-II second stage second burn put the satellite into a much lower than planned orbit. The on-board Unified Propulsion System was used to raise it to a more useful orbit.

• MTSAT - . Mass: 2,900 kg (6,300 lb). Nation: Japan. Agency: NASDA. Manufacturer: Palo Alto. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft Bus: FS-1300. Spacecraft: FS-1300.

  Multi-functional Transportation Satellite intended to provide communications and air traffic control for the Japanese transportation ministry and a meteorological data for the Japanese Meteorological Agency. The spacecraft had a mass of 1223 kg dry and was a follow-on to the GMS (Himawari) weather satellite series.