MV-1B Credit - NASDA

All-solid orbital launch vehicle. Country: Japan. Status: Active.

All-solid Japanese satellite launch vehicle.

Manufacturer: Nissan. Launches: 7. Failures: 1. Success Rate: 85.71%. First Launch Date: 1997-02-12. Last Launch Date: 2006-09-22. Launch data is: continuing. LEO Payload: 1,800 kg (3,900 lb). to: 200 km Orbit. at: 30.00 degrees. Payload: 1,300 kg (2,800 lb). to a: 200 km, 90 deg inclination orbital trajectory. Associated Spacecraft: ASTRO E, Haruka, Hayabusa, Planet-B. Liftoff Thrust: 4,200.000 kN (944,100 lbf). Total Mass: 137,500 kg (303,100 lb). Core Diameter: 2.50 m (8.20 ft). Total Length: 30.80 m (101.00 ft). Development Cost $: 220.000 million. in: 1997 average dollars. Launch Price $: 60.000 million. in: 1999 price dollars.

• Stage1: 1 x M-V-1. Gross Mass: 83,560 kg (184,210 lb). Empty Mass: 12,070 kg (26,600 lb). Motor: 1 x M14. Thrust (vac): 3,780.345 kN (849,855 lbf). Isp: 276 sec. Burn time: 46 sec. Length: 13.80 m (45.20 ft). Diameter: 2.50 m (8.20 ft). Propellants: Solid.

• Stage2: 1 x M-V-2. Gross Mass: 34,470 kg (75,990 lb). Empty Mass: 3,410 kg (7,510 lb). Motor: 1 x M24. Thrust (vac): 1,245.287 kN (279,952 lbf). Isp: 288 sec. Burn time: 71 sec. Length: 6.80 m (22.30 ft). Diameter: 2.50 m (8.20 ft). Propellants: Solid.

• Stage3: 1 x M-V-3. Gross Mass: 11,000 kg (24,000 lb). Empty Mass: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). Motor: 1 x M34. Thrust (vac): 294.000 kN (66,093 lbf). Isp: 301 sec. Burn time: 102 sec. Length: 3.60 m (11.80 ft). Diameter: 2.20 m (7.20 ft). Propellants: Solid.

• Stage1: 1 x M-V-1. Gross Mass: 83,560 kg (184,210 lb). Empty Mass: 12,070 kg (26,600 lb). Motor: 1 x M14. Thrust (vac): 3,780.345 kN (849,855 lbf). Isp: 276 sec. Burn time: 46 sec. Length: 13.80 m (45.20 ft). Diameter: 2.50 m (8.20 ft). Propellants: Solid.

• Stage2: 1 x M-V-2. Gross Mass: 34,470 kg (75,990 lb). Empty Mass: 3,410 kg (7,510 lb). Motor: 1 x M24. Thrust (vac): 1,245.287 kN (279,952 lbf). Isp: 288 sec. Burn time: 71 sec. Length: 6.80 m (22.30 ft). Diameter: 2.50 m (8.20 ft). Propellants: Solid.

• Stage3: 1 x M-V-3. Gross Mass: 11,000 kg (24,000 lb). Empty Mass: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). Motor: 1 x M34. Thrust (vac): 294.000 kN (66,093 lbf). Isp: 301 sec. Burn time: 102 sec. Length: 3.60 m (11.80 ft). Diameter: 2.20 m (7.20 ft). Propellants: Solid.

• Stage4: 1 x M-V-4. Gross Mass: 1,430 kg (3,150 lb). Empty Mass: 118 kg (260 lb). Motor: 1 x M-V-4. Thrust (vac): 51.900 kN (11,668 lbf). Isp: 298 sec. Burn time: 73 sec. Length: 1.50 m (4.90 ft). Diameter: 1.20 m (3.90 ft). Propellants: Solid.

1997 February 12 - 04:50 GMT - Kagoshima M-V. M-V M-V-1 Haruka Spacecraft: Haruka. Agency: ISAS. Perigee: 569 km (353 mi). Apogee: 21,415 km (13,306 mi). Inclination: 31.40 deg. Period: 379.30 min.

1998 July 3 - 18:12 GMT - Kagoshima M-V. M-V M-V-3 Nozomi Mass: 258 kg (568 lb). Spacecraft: Nozomi. Agency: ISAS. Perigee: 703 km (436 mi). Apogee: 489,381 km (304,086 mi). Inclination: 27.30 deg. Period: 20,910.00 min. Originally known as Planet-B; renamed Nozomi ('Hope') after launch. The third stage and payload entered a 146 x 417 km x 31.1 deg parking orbit. The KM-V1 kick (fourth) stage then fired to place the spacecraft into a circumlunar 359 x 401491 km x 28.6 deg orbit. Nozomi made multiple lunar and Earth gravity assist passes to increase its energy for solar orbit insertion and the cruise to Mars.. The spacecraft used a lunar swingby on 24 September and another on 18 December 1998 to increase the apogee of its orbit. It swung by Earth on 20 December at a perigee of about 1000 km. The gravitational assist from the swingby coupled with a 7 minute burn of the bipropellant engine put Nozomi into an escape trajectory towards Mars. It was scheduled to arrive at Mars on 11 October 1999 at 7:45:14 GMT, but the Earth swingby left the spacecraft with insufficient acceleration and two course correction burns on 21 December used more propellant than planned, leaving the spacecraft short of fuel. The new plan is for Nozomi to remain in heliocentric orbit for an additional four years and encounter Mars at a slower relative velocity in December 2003.

2000 February 10 - 01:30 GMT - Kagoshima M-V. M-V M-V-4 FAILURE: First stage failure. An anomalous vibration was detected 25 seconds after launch. At 41 seconds ceramic heat shields in the first stage nozzle broke and fell off, and thrust vector control on the nozzle was lost. ASTRO E Mass: 1,680 kg (3,700 lb). Spacecraft: ASTRO E. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi). Spacecraft was injected in very low perigee orbit and reentered.. X-ray astronomy satellite. Stage 1 lost control, and separated with the rocket off-course at 75 seconds in the flight. Stage 2 burned correctly and separated at 218 seconds, followed by the third stage burn at 621 seconds. Last signals were received at 20 minutes after launch. ASTRO-E was to have separated from the third stage at 23 minutes, but ended in an orbit with a perigee of only 80 km and an apogee of 410 km. It probably reentered on the first orbit at around 0230 - 0300 GMT somewhere between East Africa and western China.

2003 May 9 - Kagoshima M-V. M-V-1 M-V-5 Hayabusa Mass: 500 kg (1,100 lb). Spacecraft: Hayabusa. Agency: ISAS. Asteroid sample return probe launched toward asteroid 1998 SF36. Launch delayed from Nov. 24, 2002, then May 5, 2003.

2005 July 10 - 03:30 GMT - Kagoshima M-V. M-V-1 M-V-6 Suzaku Mass: 1,680 kg (3,700 lb). Spacecraft: ASTRO E. Agency: JAXA. Perigee: 562 km (349 mi). Apogee: 573 km (356 mi). Inclination: 31.40 deg. Period: 96.00 min. Delayed from February, June 26, July 6 and 8, 2005. CUTE-1.7 nanosat mistakenly reported on this flight. Astro-E2 was renamed Suzaku (after a legendary red bird) after launch. It replaced the Astro-E, which never reached orbit due to an M-V-4 launch failure in 2000. The satellite had five 0.4-meter diameter X-ray telescopes, one with an XRS microcalorimeter and the other four with X-ray CCD cameras. However it was revealed that the XRS failed on 9 August due to leaking of helium coolant.

2006 February 21 - 21:28 GMT - Kagoshima M-V. M-V-1 M-V-8 Astro F (Akari) Mass: 960 kg (2,110 lb). Spacecraft: Akari. Agency: JAXA. Perigee: 705 km (438 mi). Apogee: 719 km (446 mi). Inclination: 98.20 deg. Period: 99.00 min. Carried a 0.67m-diameter liquid-helium-cooled infrared telescope with detectors ranging from the near infrared to 60 and 170 micron channels in the far IR. It was to carry out the first far infrared sky survey since IRAS in 1983.

2006 September 22 - 21:36 GMT - Kagoshima M-V. M-V-1 M-V-7 Hinode (Solar B) Mass: 870 kg (1,910 lb). Spacecraft: Hinode. Agency: JAXA. Perigee: 674 km (418 mi). Apogee: 695 km (431 mi). Inclination: 98.10 deg. Period: 98.50 min. Solar satellite with a large optical telescope and an X-ray telescope built by the Smithsonian Observatory.