JAXA / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries · Operational · jp · Launch Vehicle
H3
Japan's modular medium-lift rocket; lost QZS-5 in a December 2025 failure, then returned to flight in June 2026 on the first H3-30.
Verified 2026-09-24 · First flight 2023-03-07
Systems cutaway
Specs & Metrics
- Payload to LEO ↑ better
- 16,000 kg
- H3-24L variant; H3-30 can carry ~4,000 kg
- Maximum payload mass deliverable to low Earth orbit (~200–400 km circular), in the vehicle's stated reference configuration.
- Payload to GTO ↑ better
- 6,500 kg
- H3-24L variant
- Maximum payload mass deliverable to geostationary transfer orbit (~185 × 35,786 km), in the stated reference config.
- Liftoff Thrust ↑ better
- 4413 kN
- baseline 2-booster config; up to 12,142 kN with 4 boosters
- Total first-stage thrust at liftoff (sea-level), in kilonewtons, summing all active engines and solid strap-ons.
- Liftoff Mass ↓ better
- 574 t
- H3-24L
- Total vehicle mass at liftoff including propellant, payload, and all stages, in metric tonnes.
- Vehicle Height ↓ better
- 63 m
- Full stack height at liftoff, in metres, including fairing or spacecraft.
- Mission Success Rate ↑ better
- 77.8%
- 7 successes, 2 failures in 9 launches through F9 (Aug 2026); the failures were TF1 (2023-03-07) and F8 (2025-12-22)
- Percentage of launch attempts rated as full mission successes over the vehicle's complete flight history.
- Launches in 2025 ↑ better
- 3
- F5 (Feb 2, QZS-6), F7 (Oct 26, HTV-X1) and F8 (Dec 22, QZS-5, failed)
- Total number of launch attempts conducted in calendar year 2025 (Jan 1 – Dec 31 UTC).