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H3 Launch Vehicle

H3 is Japan's active modular expendable launch-vehicle family, developed by JAXA with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as prime contractor. Eight vehicles had flown through June 2026 across 22S, 24W, and 30S configurations; the 24L heavy configuration is assigned to future exploration missions.

H3 Launch Vehicle
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jacob Wood (AF991), 374th Airlift Wing · The exact stored asset is a 529x681 derivative crop with SHA-256 2fb3f849bf01688d06ca82f2e4e2a1cf87b4c55d43167afd245802abc1d51a4b; it byte-matches the Commons extraction of the official Space Force image for VIRIN 250202-F-AF991-1336 and DVIDS image 8853513. The official Space Force gallery identifies this photograph as public domain, cleared for release, and requests photographer credit. Reuse remains subject to current DoD visual-information limits: no implied government endorsement and separate restrictions for military marks, trademarks, privacy/publicity, or any third-party rights; this is not a blanket clearance for those elements. · Source
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Identity

Aliases
H3 Launch VehicleJAXA H3
Family Name
H3
Full Name
H3 Launch Vehicle
Status
active
Type
rocket

Details

Description
H3 is Japan's active modular expendable launch-vehicle family, developed by JAXA with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as prime contractor. Eight vehicles had flown through June 2026 across 22S, 24W, and 30S configurations; the 24L heavy configuration is assigned to future exploration missions.
Dimensions
Diameter M
5.2
Height M
63
First Flight Year
2,023
Manufacturer
Operator
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Count
      2
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      first-stage
      Variant Notes
      Two exact LE-9 first-stage engines.
    • Count
      2
      Placement
      booster
      Propulsion System
      Role
      booster
      Stage
      first-stage
      Variant Notes
      Two exact SRB-3 solid rocket boosters.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      second-stage
      Variant Notes
      One exact LE-5B-3 second-stage engine.
    Name
    H3-22S
    Notes
    Short-fairing H3 with two LE-9 first-stage engines, two SRB-3 strap-on boosters, and one LE-5B-3 second-stage engine.
  • Entries
    • Count
      2
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      first-stage
      Variant Notes
      Two exact LE-9 first-stage engines.
    • Count
      4
      Placement
      booster
      Propulsion System
      Role
      booster
      Stage
      first-stage
      Variant Notes
      Four exact SRB-3 solid rocket boosters.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      second-stage
      Variant Notes
      One exact LE-5B-3 second-stage engine.
    Name
    H3-24L
    Notes
    Long-fairing H3 heavy configuration with two LE-9 first-stage engines, four SRB-3 strap-on boosters, and one LE-5B-3 second-stage engine.
  • Entries
    • Count
      2
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      first-stage
      Variant Notes
      Two exact LE-9 first-stage engines.
    • Count
      4
      Placement
      booster
      Propulsion System
      Role
      booster
      Stage
      first-stage
      Variant Notes
      Four exact SRB-3 solid rocket boosters.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      second-stage
      Variant Notes
      One exact LE-5B-3 second-stage engine.
    Name
    H3-24W
    Notes
    Wide-fairing H3 cargo configuration with two LE-9 first-stage engines, four SRB-3 strap-on boosters, and one LE-5B-3 second-stage engine.
  • Entries
    • Count
      3
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      first-stage
      Variant Notes
      Three exact LE-9 first-stage engines.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      second-stage
      Variant Notes
      One exact LE-5B-3 second-stage engine.
    Name
    H3-30S
    Notes
    Short-fairing boosterless H3 configuration with three LE-9 first-stage engines and one LE-5B-3 second-stage engine.
Rocket Specs
Liftoff Mass Kg
574,000
Reusability
expendable
Stages Count
2

Links

Official Url
https://global.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/h3/index.html
Wikipedia Url
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H3_(rocket)

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
April 26, 2026 at 14:38:45 UTC
Updated Time
August 1, 2026 at 09:57:02 UTC
Image
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