Japan's H2A rocket retired after successful final launch
Japan's flagship H2A rocket lifted off for the final time at 1:33 a.m. on Sunday from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, successfully concluding a 24-year run that has defined the nation's space capabilities.
The rocket's 50th and final mission carrieds the GOSAT-GW, a government-developed hybrid environmental observation satellite. The satellite combines the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for monitoring ocean surface temperatures and water cycle dynamics with the TANSO sensor, which measures greenhouse gases, and is expected to play a key role in the country's climate change mitigation and resource management.
With this final launch, the H2A retires with a stellar track record — 49 successful launches out of 50, a success rate of 98%. Jointly developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the 53-meter rocket debuted in 2001 and quickly became the workhorse of the country's space program.
Some of H2A's most vital payloads were weather and reconnaissance satellites that support the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. It also enabled landmark missions such as the 2014 launch of the Hayabusa2 asteroid probe, which successfully returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu to Earth, and contributed to Japan's first successful lunar landing in January 2024 by carrying the SLIM lander.
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the launch was delayed after an anomaly was detected in the rocket's second-stage electrical system. Engineers completed the necessary repairs and re-inspections before clearing it for flight.
The decision to retire the H2A comes amid rising global competition in the space launch industry, where cost-efficiency has become a key differentiator. While the H2A offered world-class reliability, its average per-launch cost of around ¥10 billion ($69 million) made it increasingly difficult to compete with rockets with lower price— to— payload prices, such as SpaceX's Falcon 9.
With the H2A now phased out, attention turns to its successor, the H3 rocket. Co-developed by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the H3 offers lower launch costs and increased launch frequency amid intensifying international competition.
While its debut flight in March 2023 ended in failure, the program has since rebounded with four consecutive successful launches.
The upcoming sixth H3 mission, scheduled for later in this year, will mark a key milestone. The rocket will be the first in its 30 configuration, using three liquid-propellant engines and no solid rocket boosters — a test of its low-cost configuration and a step toward Japan's effort to build a globally competitive launch platform.
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