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H-IIA
Expendable medium-lift launch vehicle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 September 2024[update], H-IIA rockets were launched 49 times, including 43 consecutive missions without a failure, dating back to 29 November 2003.
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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.[3]
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 before finally retired on its final launch in 2020.
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Vehicle description
The base configuration, and the only remaining active configuration of an H-IIA launch vehicle, uses two SRB-A type solid rocket boosters (SRBs). The launch capability of the H-IIA launch vehicle could be enhanced by adding an additional two SRB-A boosters or up to four Castor 4AXL solid strap-on boosters (SSBs).
The models are indicated by three or four numbers following the prefix "H2A":[4]
- The first number in the sequence indicates the number of stages (always 2)
- The second number in the sequence indicates the number of liquid rocket boosters (a planned addition to the launch vehicle that was canceled, so always 0)
- The third number in the sequence indicates the number of SRB-A type solid rocket boosters (2 or 4)
- The fourth, optional, number in the sequence indicates the number of Castor 4AXL solid strap-on boosters (2 or 4)
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Variants
- Launch system status
Active
Discontinued
Cancelled
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Launch history
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The first H-IIA was successfully launched on 29 August 2001, followed by a string of successes.
The sixth launch on 29 November 2003, intended to launch two IGS reconnaissance satellites, failed. JAXA announced that launches would resume in 2005, and the first successful flight took place on 26 February 2005 with the launch of MTSAT-1R.
The first launch for a mission beyond Earth orbit was on 14 September 2007 for the SELENE Moon mission. The first foreign payload on the H-IIA was the Australian FedSat-1 in 2002. As of March 2015, 27 out of 28 launches were successful.
A rocket with increased launch capabilities, H-IIB, is a derivative of the H-IIA family. H-IIB uses two LE-7A engines in its first stage, as opposed to one in H-IIA. The first H-IIB was successfully launched on 10 September 2009.
For the 29th flight on 24 November 2015, an H-IIA with an upgraded second stage[8] launched the Telstar 12V satellite, the first commercial primary payload for a Japanese launch vehicle.[9]
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See also
References
External links
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