LAUNCH CENTER

Success

Sat Aug 17 1996

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Midori

Launch Successful

LAUNCH PREVIEW

Launch Time

(1:53 AM UTC)

Launch Window Start

(1:53 AM UTC)

Launch Window End

(1:53 AM UTC)

RECOVERY OVERVIEW

Location

No Recovery Specified

Type

No Recovery Specified

Rocket Details

Name:

H-II

Description:

The H-II rocket was a Japanese satellite launch system which flew seven times between 1994 and 1999 with 5 successes. It was developed by NASDA in order to give Japan a capability to launch larger satellites in the 1990s. It was the first two stage liquid fuelled rocket Japan made using only domestic technologies.

MISSION OVERVIEW

Type: Earth Science
Primary applications of ADEOS (Advanced Earth Observation Satellite), which has been renamed Midori after reaching orbit, include monitoring global environmental changes such as maritime meteorological conditions, atmospheric ozone, and gases that promote global warming. ADEOS was also expected to play a vital role in developing more sophisticated inter-orbit communications and platform technology for the satellite of tomorrow. ADEOS was launched by H-2 Launch Vehicle No.4 on August 1996 and provided a large volume of data containing valuable information about our environment atmosphere, ocean and land for about 10 months until it suddenly got out of control on 30 June 1997 because of the structural damage in its solar array paddle.

COMPLEX OVERVIEW

Location

Tanegashima, Japan

Pad

Yoshinobu Launch Complex