| 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 southeast from the launch site. |
|
| T+01:39 |
SRB-A Burnout |
| The H-2A's two solid rocket boosters exhaust their propellant and burn out at an altitude of 29 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 92 miles, the rocket releases the 4-meter (13.1-foot) diameter payload fairing protecting the GPM Core 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 more than 11,000 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. |
|
| 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 148 miles to accelerate the GPM Core payload to orbital velocity. |
|
| T+14:58 |
Second Stage Cutoff |
| The LE-5B second stage engine shuts down after reaching its specified orbital targets at an altitude of 248 miles and an inclination of 65 degrees. |
|
| T+15:49 |
GPM Core Separation |
| The 8,488-pound Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory is deployed from the H-2A rocket. Seven small secondary payloads will be released a few minutes later. |
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