The Japanese H3 rocket is scheduled to launch the Michibiki 7 navigation satellite into orbit
Japan plans to launch an H3 launch vehicle carrying the Michibiki 7 navigation satellite from the Tanegashima Space Center on August 10. The one-hour launch window opens at 19:23 GMT, which corresponds to 4:23 a.m. on August 11 local time in Japan, according to Space.com.
This will be the ninth flight of the two-stage H3 rocket, which replaced Japan’s H-2A rocket. The H-2A was retired last year after 50 launches. The H3 made its debut in March 2023 and, prior to this scheduled launch, had completed eight launches, two of which the source describes as failures: its maiden flight and the launch of Michibiki 5 in December of last year.
In June, the H3 rocket successfully placed six satellites into orbit. Depending on the fairing used, its height is either 57 or 63 meters.
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Michibiki 7 will become part of Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), which operates in geosynchronous orbit. The system is compatible with GPS and can be used in conjunction with it, particularly in regions of Asia and Oceania located at longitudes near Japan. Currently, five QZSS satellites are in orbit, and there are plans to expand the network to 11 satellites in the future.
Michibiki 7 will also carry the Situational Awareness Camera Hosted Instrument (SACHI), developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory for the U.S. Space Force. This will be the second such instrument on a QZSS satellite; the first was installed on Michibiki 6, which was launched by an H3 rocket in February 2025.
