| T-00:00 |
Liftoff |
| With its LE-7A main engine and two solid rocket boosters firing, the 174-foot-tall H-2A rocket lifts off from the Yoshinobu launch complex on Tanegashima Island. A few moments later, the rocket will complete a pitch program to head east from the launch site. |
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| T+01:38 |
SRB-A Burnout |
| The H-2A's two solid rocket boosters exhaust their propellant and burn out at an altitude of 28 miles. |
|
| T+01:48 |
SRB-A Separation |
| The two solid rocket boosters are jettisoned. |
|
| T+04:05 |
Fairing Separation |
| After traversing the dense lower atmosphere and reaching an altitude of 88 miles, the rocket releases the 4-meter (13.1-foot) diameter payload fairing protecting the Himawari 8 spacecraft during the early part of the flight. |
|
| T+06:36 |
Main Engine Cutoff |
| After consuming its liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants, the LE-7A first stage main engine shuts down. The first stage and solid rocket boosters push the rocket to a velocity of nearly 12,000 mph. |
|
| T+06:44 |
Stage Separation |
| The H-2A rocket's first stage is separated now, having completed its job. The spent stage will fall into the Pacific Ocean downrange from Tanegashima. |
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| T+06:50 |
Second Stage Ignition |
| With the first stage jettisoned, the rocket's second stage takes over. The LE-5B hydrogen-fueled engine ignites at an altitude of 140 miles to accelerate the Himawari 8 payload to orbital velocity. |
|
| T+12:12 |
SECO 1 |
| The LE-5B second stage engine shuts down after reaching a parking orbit with the Himawari 8 satellite. The second stage will coast for nearly 12 minutes before restarting to boost the spacecraft into geostationary transfer orbit. |
|
| T+23:50 |
Second Stage Restart |
| The LE-5B second stage engine reignites for a 3-minute, 17-second burn. |
|
| T+27:07 |
SECO 2 |
| The H-2A rocket's LE-5B second stage engine shuts down after reaching an orbit with a high point of 35,976 kilometers (22,354 miles), a low point of 250 kilometers (155 miles), and an inclination of 22.4 degrees. |
|
| T+27:57 |
Himawari 8 Separation |
| The 7,716-pound Himawari 8 weather satellite separates from the H-2A rocket's second stage to complete the launch. Himawari 8 is designed for an eight-year weather observation mission for the Japan Meteorological Agency. |
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