It was designed to meet diverse launch demands, at lower cost and with a high
degree of reliability. H-IIA has a simplified design and uses improved
efficiency in the manufacturing and launch processes than its predecessor the
H-II.
The H-IIA Launch Vehicle consists of:
1. First Stage:
The First stage consists of LE-7A engine, an engine section, a propulsion
system tank charged with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (lox), a center
section connecting the tanks and an inter-stage section mating the First and
Second stages.
2. Second Stage:
The Second stage consists of a LE-5B engine, a propulsion system tank charged
with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (lox), on-board electronic devices, etc.
As a key feature for launch mission support, the LE-5B engine can be ignited up
to three times.
3. Solid Rocket Boosters:
Two or four SRB-A's installed on the H-IIA Launch Vehicle are attached to the
First stage and are used to boost the thrust from the main engine..
Two models of the
H-IIA launch vehicle are produced:
(i) Standard type H2A202 with 2 SRB-A's (up to 4 metric tons into
Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO)).
(ii) H2A204 type with 4 SRB-A's attached (launching 6 metric tons into
Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO)).
Uses
The H-IIA Japanese rocket has been used to launch satellites into geostationary
orbit, to launch a lunar orbiting spacecraft and to launch an interplanetary
space probe to Venus.
Specs
Stages: 2
Height: 53 m (173 ft)
Diameter: 4 m (13.1 ft)
Mass: 445,000 kg (981,057 lb)
Payload to LEO: 10,000 - 15,000 kg (22,046 - 33,069 lb)
Payload to GTO: 4,100 - 6,000 kg (9,038 - 13,227 lb)
History
* The first experimental flight of the H-IIA F1 was launched on August 29,
2001.
* The first foreign payload on the H-IIA was the Australian FedSat-1 in 2002.
* Japan resumed launches of the H2A satellite
launcher in February 2005 carrying MTSAT. This is the first flight since the
last H2A failure in November 2003.
* Production and management of the H-IIA shifted from JAXA to MHI on April 1,
2007.
* The first launch for a mission beyond Earth orbit was on September 14, 2007
for the SELENE moon mission. The lunar orbiter SELENE mission was the first H-IIA
launched after privatization.
Book:
The Japanese and
Indian Space Programmes: Two Roads into Space
by Brian Harvey from
Amazon.com and
Amazon.co.uk.
Did you know?
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 September 10, 2009.
This rocket has increased launch capabilities.
H-IIA
Launch Vehicle
Links:
H-IIA
Launch Vehicle Family:
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
