Japan’s Himawari 9 weather satellite will ride into space atop an H-2A rocket from Tanegashima Space Center and reach a preliminary geostationary transfer orbit within 28 minutes of liftoff.
The 7,700-pound (3,500-kilogram) satellite will blast off from Launch Pad No. 1 at the Yoshinobu launch complex at Tanegashina Space Center, a picturesque spaceport carved on the southern edge of Tanegashima Island in southern Japan.
The H-2A rocket carrying Himawari 8 will head east over the Pacific Ocean, dropping its two solid-fueled boosters, nose cone, and a cryogenic core stage in the sea before its upper stage delivers the weather observatory to an orbit stretching more than 22,000 miles above Earth.
A list of the major events during the launch, set for 0620 GMT (2:20 a.m. EDT) Wednesday, is provided below.
Data source: JAXA
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.
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 (45 kilometers).
T+01:48: SRB-A Jettison
The two solid rocket boosters are jettisoned at an altitude of 33 miles (53 kilometers).
T+04:05: Fairing Separation
After traversing the dense lower atmosphere and reaching an altitude of 88 miles (142 kilometers), the rocket releases the 4-meter (13.1-foot) diameter payload fairing protecting the Himawari 9 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 11,000 mph (4.9 kilometers per second).
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.
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 (225 kilometers) to accelerate the Himawari 9 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 9 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 9 Separation
The 7,716-pound Himawari 8 weather satellite separates from the H-2A rocket’s second stage to complete the launch. Himawari 9 is designed for an eight-year weather observation mission for the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The ninth and final flight of Japan’s H-2B rocket — the country’s most powerful launcher — drove an automated cargo freighter into orbit Wednesday on a five-day pursuit of the International Space Station.
Closing out a banner year of launches, an Ariane 5 rocket thundered into space Wednesday from French Guiana with two commercial communications satellites manufactured in California to expand television and broadband access in Latin America and broadcast television programming in Japan.
Japan’s sixth automated logistics vehicle packed with 4.5 tons of supplies approached the International Space Station for a laser-guided rendezvous, culminating with grapple of the HTV cargo craft by the station’s robotic arm at 1037 GMT (5:37 a.m. EST) Tuesday.
