VEP 4, CE-SAT-1E & TIRSAT
H3-22
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Rocket Launch Videos
Rocket Launch Timeline
Enhance your rocket launch experience with a detailed timeline! From pre-launch preparations to post-launch milestones, a well-structured schedule ensures every step—payload prep, safety checks, and liftoff—runs smoothly. Stay informed and follow the action with precision.
| T+ 00 : 00 : 00 | Liftoff First upwards movement of the rocket |
| T+ 00 : 01 : 56 | SRB Separation The solid rocket boosters are separated from the launcher. |
| T+ 00 : 03 : 34 | Fairing Separation Separation of the payload fairing |
| T+ 00 : 04 : 58 | MECO Cut-off of the main engine |
| T+ 00 : 05 : 05 | Stage 2 Separation Separation of the second stage from the first |
| T+ 00 : 05 : 17 | SES-1 First start of the second engine |
| T+ 00 : 16 : 36 | SECO-1 First cut-off of the second engine |
| T+ 00 : 16 : 57 | Payload Deployment Sequence Start Start of the payload deployment sequence |
| T+ 01 : 47 : 23 | SES-2 Second start of the second engine |
| T+ 01 : 47 : 39 | SECO-2 Second cut-off of the second engine |
| T+ 01 : 48 : 19 | Payload Deployment Sequence End End of the payload deployment sequence. |
Mission
VEP 4, CE-SAT-1E & TIRSAT
- Type: Test Flight
- Orbit: Sun-Synchronous Orbit
- Launch Cost: $50,000,000
New test flight of the H3 ordered following the failure of the inaugural launch of H3 in March 2023 with ALOS-3.
Main payload is VEP 4 (Vehicle Evaluation Payload 4), a 2.6 tonnes mass simulator payload that will be carried on the 2nd test flight of the H3 rocket, instead of the ALOS-4 Earth observation satellite as originally planned. It will be deployed after the 2nd de-orbit burn is completed to test the payload separation mechanism.
2 hitchhiking secondary payloads have been selected in June 2023:
* CE-SAT-1E - 70 kilograms class optical Earth observation satellite from Canon Electronics Inc., similar to the previously launched CE-SAT-1.
* TIRSAT - 3U cubesat by Japan Space Systems and other institutes to test an infrared sensor for Earth surface observation purposes.
Location
Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2 has witnessed the launch of 14 rockets, including 14 orbital launch attempts. While Tanegashima Space Center, Japan, has been the site for 94 rocket launches.
The Tanegashima Space Center is the largest rocket-launch complex in Japan. It is located on the southeastern tip of Tanegashima, an island located south of Kyushu, an island and region and Japan. It was established in 1969 when the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) was formed, and is now run by JAXA. The activities that take place at TNSC include assembly, testing, launching, and tracking satellites, as well as rocket engine firing tests.
Rocket
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H3-22
The H3 Launch Vehicle is a Japanese expendable launch system.
Each H3 booster configuration has a two-digit and a letter designation that indicates the features of that configuration. The first digit represents the number of LE-9 engines on the main stage, either "2" or "3". The second digit indicates the number of SRB-3 solid rocket boosters attached to the base of the rocket, and can be "0", "2" or "4". All layouts of solid boosters are symmetrical. The letter in the end shows the length of the payload fairing, either short "S" or long "L". For example, an H3-24L has two engines, four solid rocket boosters, and a long fairing, whereas an H3-30S has three engines, no solid rocket boosters, and a short fairing.
Agency
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group.
MHI's products include aerospace components, air conditioners, aircraft, automotive components, forklift trucks, hydraulic equipment, machine tools, missiles, power generation equipment, printing machines, ships and space launch vehicles. Through its defense-related activities, it is the world's 23rd-largest defense contractor measured by 2011 defense revenues and the largest based in Japan.
