April 19, 2026
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Breaking News
  • [ April 19, 2026 ] Live Coverage: Third flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket to feature 1st reuse of booster Mission Reports
  • [ April 18, 2026 ] SpaceX to attempt 600th Falcon booster landing amid West Coast Starlink mission Falcon 9
  • [ April 16, 2026 ] Blue Origin hot fires its first previously flown booster, prepares for weekend launch Mission Reports
  • [ April 15, 2026 ] Blue Origin one step closer to launching New Glenn from Vandenberg Space Force Base New Glenn
  • [ April 15, 2026 ] West Coast SpaceX Falcon 9 mission launches 25 Starlink satellites Falcon 9

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

H-2A

Japanese weather observatory successfully boosted into orbit

November 2, 2016 Stephen Clark

A nearly four-ton satellite fitted with a modernized camera to collect more timely images of typhoons and severe weather bolted away from a seaside launch pad in southern Japan on Wednesday, riding an H-2A rocket on the way to an orbital perch more than 22,000 miles above Earth.

H-2A

Key events during the H-2A rocket launch with Himawari 9

November 1, 2016 Stephen Clark

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.

H-2A

Live coverage: H-2A rocket blasts off with latest Japanese weather satellite

November 1, 2016 Stephen Clark

A Japanese H-2A rocket launched from Tanegashima Island on Wednesday with the Himawari 9 weather observatory bound for a perch more than 22,000 miles above Earth to improve forecasting in the Asia-Pacific. Liftoff of the 17-story rocket from southern Japan occurred at 0620 GMT (2:20 a.m. EDT) Wednesday.

H-2A

H-2A rocket rolls to launch pad with Japanese weather satellite

November 1, 2016 Stephen Clark

A sophisticated new Japanese weather satellite will ride an H-2A rocket into orbit Wednesday to start a 15-year mission tracking cyclones and helping meteorologists predict storm movements across the Asia-Pacific and Australia.

H-2A

Photos: H-2A rocket soars on groundbreaking astronomy mission

February 19, 2016 Stephen Clark

Burning a mixture of super-cold liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and pre-packed solid propellant, Japan’s H-2A rocket vaulted into a deep blue evening sky over the beaches of Tanegashima Island on Wednesday with a satellite that will see the surroundings of black holes better than ever before.

H-2A

Black hole observatory launched from Japan

February 17, 2016 Stephen Clark

Japan launched a pioneering observatory with X-ray vision Wednesday to peer into the mysterious, light-starved neighborhoods around black holes and study the genesis of galaxies and other cosmic mega-structures billions of light-years from Earth.

H-2A

Live coverage: Japan’s H-2A rocket blasts off on first commercial flight

November 24, 2015 Stephen Clark

After a brief delay to chase away a boat from offshore waters, Japan’s H-2A rocket launched at 0650 GMT (1:50 a.m. EST) with the Telstar 12 Vantage telecom satellite. The launch from marks the first flight of an H-2A rocket with an upgraded upper stage, and the launcher’s first dedicated commercial mission.

H-2A

Sporting new upgrades, H-2A rocket readied for flight

November 23, 2015 Stephen Clark

A Japanese H-2A rocket is set for liftoff Tuesday on its first fully commercial mission, carrying a communications satellite for Telesat of Canada that will bridge the Atlantic Ocean with expanded coverage for television broadcasters and mobile users from Latin America to the Middle East.

Mission Reports

H-2B rocket launch sends supply shipment to space station

August 19, 2015 Stephen Clark

A cache of critical cargo stowed inside a solar-powered Japanese resupply freighter is speeding toward a rendezvous with the International Space Station after a successful launch Wednesday.

Mission Reports

Live coverage: Japanese cargo craft arrives at space station

August 19, 2015 Stephen Clark

An automated logistics vehicle packed with nearly five tons of supplies reached the International Space Station on Monday after a laser-guided rendezvous culminating with grapple of the HTV cargo craft by the station’s robotic arm at 1028 GMT (6:28 a.m. EDT).

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News Headlines

  • Live Coverage: Third flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket to feature 1st reuse of booster
    April 19, 2026
  • SpaceX to attempt 600th Falcon booster landing amid West Coast Starlink mission
    April 18, 2026
  • Blue Origin hot fires its first previously flown booster, prepares for weekend launch
    April 16, 2026
  • Blue Origin one step closer to launching New Glenn from Vandenberg Space Force Base
    April 15, 2026
  • West Coast SpaceX Falcon 9 mission launches 25 Starlink satellites
    April 15, 2026
  • SpaceX launches 1,000th Starlink satellite of 2026 on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
    April 14, 2026
  • NASA confident Artemis 2 heat shield will protect crew during re-entry
    April 10, 2026
  • Artemis astronauts send down Easter message, prep for lunar fly around Monday
    April 5, 2026
  • ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket launches its heaviest payload ever with fifth Amazon Leo mission
    April 3, 2026
  • Artemis 2 crew blasts off on historic moon mission
    April 2, 2026
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