![]() H-IIA No. F23 rolls out to the launch pad in February 2014 | |
Function | Medium-lift launch vehicle |
---|---|
Manufacturer |
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Country of origin | Japan |
Cost per launch | US$90 million [1] |
Size | |
Height | 53 m (174 ft) |
Diameter | 4 m (13 ft) |
Mass | 285,000–445,000 kg (628,000–981,000 lb) |
Stages | 2 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | 10,000–15,000 kg (22,000–33,000 lb) |
Payload to GTO | |
Mass | 4,100–6,000 kg (9,000–13,200 lb) |
Associated rockets | |
Family | H-II family |
Based on | H-II |
Derivative work | H-IIB |
Launch history | |
Status | Active |
Launch sites | Tanegashima, LA-Y1 |
Total launches |
|
Success(es) |
|
First flight |
|
Last flight |
|
Type of passengers/cargo | |
Boosters – SRB-A | |
No. boosters | 2–4 |
Height | 15.1 m (50 ft) |
Diameter | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) |
Maximum thrust | 2,260 kN (510,000 lbf) |
Total thrust | 4,520–9,040 kN (1,020,000–2,030,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 280 s (2.7 km/s) |
Burn time | 120 seconds |
Propellant | HTPB |
Boosters (2022, 2024) – Castor 4A-XL | |
No. boosters | 2–4 |
Height | 12 m (38 ft) |
Diameter | 1.02 m (40.1 in)[1] |
Gross mass | 14,983 kg (33,031 lb) |
Propellant mass | 13,112 kg (28,906 lb) |
Maximum thrust | 765 kN (172,060 lbf) |
Total thrust | 1,531–3,061 kN (344,120–688,240 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 282.6 s (2.771 km/s) |
Burn time | 58 seconds |
Propellant | HTPB/Al |
First stage | |
Height | 37.2 m (122 ft) |
Diameter | 4 m (13 ft) |
Powered by | 1 × LE-7A |
Maximum thrust | 1,098 kN (247,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 440 s (4.3 km/s) |
Burn time | 390 seconds |
Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
Second stage | |
Height | 9.2 m (30 ft) |
Diameter | 4 m (13 ft) |
Powered by | 1 × LE-5B |
Maximum thrust | 137 kN (31,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 447 s (4.38 km/s) |
Burn time | 534 seconds |
Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
H-IIA (H-2A) is an active expendable launch system operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. These liquid fuel rockets have been used to launch satellites into geostationary orbit; lunar orbiting spacecraft; Akatsuki, which studied the planet Venus; and the Emirates Mars Mission, which was launched to Mars in July 2020. Launches occur at the Tanegashima Space Center. The H-IIA first flew in 2001. As of February 2024[update], H-IIA rockets were launched 48 times, including 42 consecutive missions without a failure, dating back to 29 November 2003.
Production and management of the H-IIA shifted from JAXA to MHI on 1 April 2007. Flight 13, which launched the lunar orbiter SELENE, was the first H-IIA launched after this privatization.[2]
The H-IIA is a derivative of the earlier H-II rocket, substantially redesigned to improve reliability and minimize costs. There have been four variants, with two in active service (as of 2020) for various purposes. A derivative design, the H-IIB, was developed in the 2000s and made its maiden flight in 2009.