Kiku-3
N-2
National Space Development Agency of Japan
Mission
Kiku-3
- Type: Test Flight
- Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
Test satellite
Location
Osaki Launch Complex
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
Osaki Launch Complex has witnessed the launch of 24 rockets, including 24 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 N-2
The N-II or N-2 was a derivative of the American Delta rocket, produced under licence in Japan. It replaced the N-I-rocket in Japanese use. It used a Thor-ELT first stage, a Delta-F second stage, nine Castor SRMs, and on most flights either a Star-37E or Burner-2 upper stage, identical to the US Delta 0100 series configurations. Eight were launched between 1981 and 1987, before it was replaced by the H-I, which featured Japanese-produced upper stages. All eight launches were successful.
