MHI Completes Production of the Core Stage of the Final H-IIA Launch Vehicle (No. 50), Business Wires News

PUBLISHED ONSeptember 26, 2024 3:00 AM

TOKYO, Sept 26, 2024 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has completed production of the core stage of the 50th and final H-IIA launch vehicle at its Tobishima Plant in the Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works in Aichi Prefecture. The core stage is scheduled for shipment to the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Since the flight of the first vehicle in 2001, the H-IIA has delivered various payloads to space as Japan's flagship launch vehicle. A total of 48 vehicles have been launched to date, with a launch success rate of around 98%. The H-IIA launch vehicle will be retired following the launch of vehicle No. 50, and succeeded by the new H3 launch vehicle.

MHI began providing launch services in 2007 that coordinate the entire process from launch vehicle manufacturing to execution of the launch campaign, and in 2013 added the H-IIB to its lineup.(Note) Going forward, MHI will continue contributing to the development of autonomous space transportation in Japan.

The H-IIB launch vehicle was Japan's flagship launch vehicle, in operation from September 2009 to May 2020. It made a total of nine flights as a heavy-lift vehicle carrying necessary supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). (Launch success rate:100%)

About MHI Group

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world’s leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com.