May 9, 2026
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Breaking News
  • [ May 8, 2026 ] Rescue mission for NASA’s $500 million space telescope passes key testing milestone Mission Reports
  • [ May 7, 2026 ] Rocket Lab announces five-launch Neutron deal as it continues aiming for late 2026 debut Mission Reports
  • [ May 5, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
  • [ May 4, 2026 ] Lockheed Martin joins collaboration with Firefly Aerospace and Seagate for off-shore launches Alpha
  • [ May 2, 2026 ] SpaceX launches South Korean Earth observation satellite, plus 44 more payloads on midnight Falcon 9 rideshare mission Falcon 9

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

H-2A

Japan launches optical spy satellite

February 9, 2020 Stephen Clark

Japan launched an optical reconnaissance satellite from the Tanegashima Space Center Sunday aboard an H-2A rocket after a 12-day delay caused by a nitrogen leak.

H-2A

Launch of Japanese spy satellite postponed by nitrogen leak

January 27, 2020 Stephen Clark

Japanese officials halted a countdown Monday at the Tanegashima Space Center when teams overseeing preparations for launch of an H-2A rocket detected a nitrogen gas leak, prompting the return of the launcher and its Japanese government payload to a nearby assembly building for repairs.

H-2A

Japan launches satellite to study human causes of climate change

October 29, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Japanese H-2A rocket deployed a satellite in orbit Monday to measure greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere and help scientists better quantify the role of human activity in climate change.

H-2A

Live coverage: Japan’s H-2A launches on 40th flight

October 28, 2018 Stephen Clark

Flying on its 40th mission, a Japanese H-2A rocket lifted off at 0408 GMT (12:08 a.m. EDT) Monday from the Tanegashima Space Center carrying Japan’s GOSAT 2 satellite to measure greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere and the KhalifaSat Earth observation satellite for the United Arab Emirates.

H-2A

Japanese intelligence-gathering satellite successfully launched

June 12, 2018 Stephen Clark

An all-weather spy satellite for the Japanese government launched Tuesday on top of an H-2A rocket, extending the country’s surveillance reach with coverage of North Korea and other strategic locations worldwide.

H-2A

Poor weather forecast delays H-2A rocket launch

June 9, 2018 Stephen Clark

Projected weather impacts from Tropical Storm Maliksi passing over the Pacific Ocean south of Japan have prompted officials to push back the launch of an H-2A rocket and an Earth-imaging reconnaissance by one day to Tuesday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced Saturday.

Mission Reports

Reconnaissance satellite launched by Japanese H-2A rocket

February 27, 2018 Stephen Clark

A Japanese H-2A rocket launched Tuesday with a clandestine government-owned satellite to collect sharp-eyed views of North Korea’s missile developments and other global hotspots.

H-2A

Japanese spy satellite launch delayed by poor weather forecast

February 24, 2018 Stephen Clark

A bad weather forecast has prompted Japanese space officials to delay the launch of an H-2A rocket with a high-resolution government-owned reconnaissance satellite by at least 48 hours until Monday night, U.S. time.

H-2A

Japanese H-2A rocket lifts off with two satellites

December 22, 2017 Stephen Clark

Two research satellites to probe Earth’s climate patterns and test ion engine technology to counter atmospheric drag in an unusual low-altitude orbit launched Saturday on top of a Japanese H-2A rocket.

H-2A

Successful H-2A rocket launch rounds out Japanese navigation network

October 9, 2017 Stephen Clark

Japan’s regional satellite navigation network, conceived to improve GPS coverage over Japanese territory, received its fourth member Monday with an on-target H-2A rocket launch.

Posts pagination

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News Headlines

  • Rescue mission for NASA’s $500 million space telescope passes key testing milestone
    May 8, 2026
  • Rocket Lab announces five-launch Neutron deal as it continues aiming for late 2026 debut
    May 7, 2026
  • SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
    May 5, 2026
  • Lockheed Martin joins collaboration with Firefly Aerospace and Seagate for off-shore launches
    May 4, 2026
  • SpaceX launches South Korean Earth observation satellite, plus 44 more payloads on midnight Falcon 9 rideshare mission
    May 2, 2026
  • SpaceX marks May Day, National Space Day with Starlink mission on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
    May 1, 2026
  • SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
    April 29, 2026
  • SpaceX launches 6-ton ViaSat-3 F3 satellite on Falcon Heavy rocket
    April 29, 2026
  • Launch preview: SpaceX seeks second attempt at Falcon Heavy launch following weather scrub on Monday
    April 28, 2026
  • ULA launches 29 Amazon Leo satellites on Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral
    April 27, 2026
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