The H-2A rocket, manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, features twin solid rocket boosters and two stages burning a mix of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants.
The rocket’s first stage is powered by an LE-7A engine that burns for the first 6 minutes, 36 seconds, of the mission, generating up to 247,000 pounds (112 tonnes) of thrust in vacuum. Two strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRB-A) will fire for the first 98 seconds of the launch, each producing more than 500,000 pounds of thrust.
The rocket’s 4-meter (13.1-foot) diameter payload fairing will release from the launcher’s nose 4 minutes, 5 seconds, after liftoff.
The H-2A’s hydrogen-fueled upper stage LE-5B engine will fire two times, reaching a peak thrust level of nearly 31,000 pounds.
The launcher is aiming to deploy the Himawari 8 weather satellite at T+plus 27 minutes, 57 seconds, in a geostationary transfer orbit with a high point of 22,354 miles (35,976 km), a low point of 155 miles (250 km) and an inclination of 22.4 degrees.