H3
OperationalJAXA / MHI · Japan · First flight 2023
Japan's next-generation flagship launch vehicle replacing the H-IIA. Features the expander-bleed cycle LE-9 engine, designed for improved reliability and reduced cost. Suffered a second-stage anomaly on its December 2025 flight after five consecutive successes.
Launch price
~$51M
~$3,091/kg to LEO
Payload to LEO
16,500 kg
6,500 kg to GTO
Career record
77.8%
7/9 successful · as of 2026-09-01
Next launch
Oct 19, 2026
Martian Moon eXplorer (MMX)
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Subscribe in your calendar (every H3 launch): Apple or OutlookGoogleDownload .icsCalendar entries move when launch times move. A launch known only to the month appears once it has a day.
More launch calendarsLaunch activity, live
From SpaceNexus's launch tracker (tracked since Feb 2, 2025); outcomes recorded as each flight lands. Career totals above are the vehicle's full history.
Last 90 days
1
launches flown
Tracked flights
5
4 success · 0 partial · 1 failed
Tracked success rate
80%
full successes / attempts; partial failures are not successes
On the manifest
8
upcoming launches
Upcoming
Specifications
| Height | 63 m |
| Diameter | 5.2 m |
| Liftoff mass | 574,000 kg |
| Stages | 2 |
| Engines | 2x LE-9 + 0/2x SRB-3 + 1x LE-5B-3 |
| Propellant | LH2 / LOX + HTPB (SRBs) |
| Fairing diameter | 5.2 m |
| Payload to LEO | 16,500 kg |
| Payload to GTO | 6,500 kg |
| Payload to SSO | 12,000 kg |
| Payload to TLI | – |
| Reusable | No |
| First flight | 2023-03-07 |
| Last flight | Active |
| Variants seen on the manifest | H3, H3-22, H3-24, H3-30 |
Where it launches from
Frequently asked
How much does a H3 launch cost?
A dedicated H3 launch lists at roughly $51 million, about $3,091 per kilogram to low Earth orbit at full payload. Actual contract prices vary with orbit, integration and government requirements.
When is the next H3 launch?
The next tracked H3 launch is Martian Moon eXplorer (MMX), Oct 19, 2026 from Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. Dates move; Mission Control carries the live countdown.
How reliable is H3?
H3 has flown 9 times as of 2026-09-01, with 7 successes, 2 failures and 0 partial failures: a 77.8% success rate.
How much can H3 carry?
16,500 kg to low Earth orbit, 6,500 kg to geostationary transfer orbit, 12,000 kg to sun-synchronous orbit.
Public commitments
On the Promise Ledger: 1 entry: 1 revised. Exact words, primary sources, deadlines and outcomes.
What the statuses mean
- Revised:
- the date or quantity was moved before it came due.
The whole Promise Ledger · same rules for everyone, how entries are scored