February 17, 2024 12:22 am

VEP 4, CE-SAT-1E & TIRSAT

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H3-22

Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
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February 17, 2024 12:22 am

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2026-07-11 11:50:14

New test flight of the H3 ordered following the failure of the inaugural launch of H3 in March 2023 with ALOS-3. Main payload is VEP 4 (Vehicle Evaluation Payload 4), a 2.6 tonnes mass simulator payload that will be carried on the 2nd test flight of the H3 rocket, instead of the ALOS-4 Earth observation satellite as originally planned. It will be deployed after the 2nd de-orbit burn is completed to test the payload separation mechanism. 2 hitchhiking secondary payloads have been selected in June 2023: * CE-SAT-1E – 70 kilograms class optical Earth observation satellite from Canon Electronics Inc., similar to the previously launched CE-SAT-1. * TIRSAT – 3U cubesat by Japan Space Systems and other institutes to test an infrared sensor for Earth surface observation purposes.
Launch Overview
Window Open 00:22 UTC
Window Close 04:06 UTC
Lift Off Feb 17, 2024 · 00:22 UTC
Launch Facility Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
Launch Pad Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2
Target Orbit Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Payload Overview
Customer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Payload VEP 4, CE-SAT-1E & TIRSAT
Rocket H3-22
Destination Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Recovery Overview
Landing Location See Mission Notes
Landing Type RTLS / Droneship
New test flight of the H3 ordered following the failure of the inaugural launch of H3 in March 2023 with ALOS-3. Main payload is VEP 4 (Vehicle Evaluation Payload 4), a 2.6 tonnes mass simulator payload that will be carried on the 2nd test flight of the H3 rocket, instead of the ALOS-4 Earth observation satellite as originally planned. It will be deployed after the 2nd de-orbit burn is completed to test the payload separation mechanism. 2 hitchhiking secondary payloads have been selected in June 2023: * CE-SAT-1E – 70 kilograms class optical Earth observation satellite from Canon Electronics Inc., similar to the previously launched CE-SAT-1. * TIRSAT – 3U cubesat by Japan Space Systems and other institutes to test an infrared sensor for Earth surface observation purposes.

Height

LEO Payload

Total Launches

Status

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2
Launch Overview
Window Open 00:22 UTC
Window Close 04:06 UTC
Lift Off Feb 17, 2024 · 00:22 UTC
Launch Facility Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
Launch Pad Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2
Target Orbit Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Payload Overview
Customer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Payload VEP 4, CE-SAT-1E & TIRSAT
Rocket H3-22
Destination Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Recovery Overview
Landing Location See Mission Notes
Landing Type RTLS / Droneship

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