SPACE LAUNCH REPORT Japan's H-2A/B, H-3 Flight History by Variant/Year (1960-Present) by Ed Kyle, Last Update February 17, 2024 L(F) = Number of Launches(Number of Failures) H-2 H-2A H-2B H-3 Year L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1990 - - - - 1991 - - - - 1992 - - - - 1993 - - - - 1994 2(0) - - - 1995 1(0) - - - 1996 1(0) - - - 1997 1(0) - - - 1998 1(1) - - - 1999 1(1) - - - 2000 - - - - 2001 - 1(0) - - 2002 - 3(0) - - 2003 - 2(1) - - 2004 - - - - 2005 - 1(0) - - 2006 - 4(0) - - 2007 - 2(0) - - 2008 - 1(0) - - 2009 - 2(0) 1(0) - 2010 - 2(0) - - 2011 - 2(0) 1(0) - 2012 - 1(0) 1(0) - 2013 - 1(0) 1(0) - 2014 - 4(0) - - 2015 - 3(0) 1(0) - 2016 - 2(0) 1(0) - 2017 - 6(0) - - 2018 - 3(0) 1(0) - 2019 - - 1(0) - 2020 - 3(0) 1(0) - 2021 - 2(0) - - 2022 - - - - 2023 - 2(0) - 1(1) 2024 - 1(0) - 1(0) ------------------------------------------------------------------ H-2 H-2A H-2B H-3 Year L(F) L(F) L(F) L(F) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Total 7(2) 48(1) 9(0) 2(1) ------------------------------------------------------------------ H-2(A/B) Vehicle Configurations ------------------------------------------------------------------ LEO GTO Configuration Liftoff GLOW Payload Payload Height (tonnes) 1800 m/s (meters)(tonnes) 250 km x from GEO* 30 deg [1] (tonnes) 250 km x 51.6 deg [2] ================================================================== H-IIA 202 10 t [1] 3.8 t 2SRB-A + Stg1 53 290 t + Stg2 + PLF H-IIA 2022 4.2 t 2SRB-A + 2SSB 53 m 320 t + Stg1 + Stg2 + PLF H-IIA 2024 4.7 t 2SRB-A + 4SSB 53 m 350 t 5.0 t** + Stg1 + Stg2 348 t** + PLF H-IIA 204 5.7 t 4SRB-A + Stg1 53 m 445 t + Stg2 + PLF H-IIB 304 16.5 t [2] 8 t 4SRB-A + H2BS1 56.6 m 531 t + Stg2 + PLF ================================================================== * GEO: Geosynchronous Earth Orbit ** Beginning with F14 H-2(A/B) Vehicle Components ------------------------------------------------------------------ SRB-A SSB H-IIA H-IIB H-IIA/B H-2A H-2B (each) (each) Stg 1 Stg 1 Stg 2 PLF 5-SH PLF ================================================================== Diameter (m) 2.5 m 1 m 4.0 m 5.2 m 4.0 m 4.07 m 5.1 m Length (m) 15.1 m 14.9 m 37.2 m 38 m 9.2 m 12.0 m 15 m Mp (tonnes) 66 t 13.1 t 101.1 t 177.8 t 16.9 t 65 t** GLOW (tonnes) 77 t 15.5 t 114 t 202 t 20.0 t 1.4 t 3.2 t 75.5 t** Engine SRB-A SSB LE-7A 2xLE-7A LE-5B LE-5B-2** Engine Mfgr Nissan Fuel Solid Solid LH2 LH2 LH2 Oxidizer LOX LOX LOX T(SL t) T(Vac t) 230 t 75.97 t 112 t 223.9 t 14 t ISP (SL sec) ISP (Vac sec) 280 s 282 s 440 s 440 s 447 s 282.5 s** 448 s** Tburn (sec) 100 s 60 s 397 s 352 s 530 s No. Engines 1 1 1 2 1 ================================================================== ** Beginning with F14 H-2S [LE5B] H3 Vehicle Configurations ================================================================== Payload Config. Height Mass (tonnes) (meters) (tonnes) (1) 500 km SSO (2) GTO ================================================================== H3-30S (1) 3.0 t S1: 3xLE-9 57 m 293.5 t (2) 2.1 t S2: 1xLE-5B-3 Short PLF ------------------------------------------------------------------ H3-22S/L (2) 4.3 t S0: 2xSRB-3 57/63 m 422 t S1: 2xLE-9 S2: 1xLE-5B-3 Short/Long PLF ------------------------------------------------------------------ H3-24L (2) 6.5 t S0: 4xSRB-3 63 m 574 t S1: 2xLE-9 S2: 1xLE-5B-3 Long PLF ================================================================== H3 Vehicle Components Stg 0 Stg 1 Stg 2 PLF PLF SRB-3 Short Long ================================================================== Diameter (m) 2.5 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.2 Length (m) 14.6 36 9 10.4 16.4 Mp (tonnes) 133.6 225 23 GLOW (tonnes) 153 259 27 Propellant HTPB LH2/LOX LH2/LOX T (SL tonnes) 220 300/450 T (VAC tonnes) 310 13.97 ISP (Vac sec) 283.6 432 338 Burn Time (sec) 110 322/203 740 Engines/Motors 0-4 2/3 1 Engine SRB-3 LE-9 LE-5B-3 Mfgr MHI MHI ================================================================== Typical H3 Ascent Timeline (SSO Mission) ================================================================== LE-9 Ignition T-0:04 Liftoff T-0:00 SRB-3 Sep T+1:56 PLF Sep T+3:34 S1 MECO T+4:58 Staging T+5:05 S2 Ign T+5:17 S2 Cutoff T+16:36 ================================================================== H-2(A/B) and H-3 Launch History DATE VEHICLE ID PAYLOAD MASS(t) SITE ORBIT ------------------------------------------------------------------ 02/03/94 H-2 1F OREX 3.256 TA Y1 GTO 08/28/94 H-2 2F ETS-6/LAPS 3.80 TA Y1 GTO 03/18/95 H-2+SSB 3F SFU/GMS-5 4.747 TA Y1 GTO 08/17/96 H-2 4F ADEOS/JAS 2 3.70 TA Y1 SSO 11/27/97 H-2 6F TRMM/ETS-7 6.52 TA Y1 LEO 02/21/98 H-2 5F COMETS 3.90 TA Y1 [EEO] 11/15/99 H-2S 8F MTSAT 2.90 TA Y1 [FTO] 08/29/01 H-2A-202 TF1 VEP-2/LRE 4.00? TA Y1 GTO 02/04/02 H-2A-2024 TF2 MDS/DASH 0.572 TA Y1 GTO 09/10/02 H-2A-2024 TF3 USERS/DRTS 3.30 TA Y1 GTO 12/14/02 H-2A-202 TF4 ADEOS 2/3xusats 3.856 TA Y1 SSO 03/28/03 H-2A-2024 F5 IGS-Optical 1/Radar 1 2.05 TA Y1 SSO 11/29/03 H-2A-2024 F6 IGS-Optical/Radar 2.05 TA Y1 [FTO] 02/26/05 H-2A-2022 F7 MT-Sat 1R 3.30 TA Y1 GTO 01/24/06 H-2A-2022 F8 ALOS 4.00 TA Y1 SSO 02/18/06 H-2A-2024 F9 MTSAT-2 4.65 TA Y1 GTO 09/11/06 H-2A-202 F10 IGS-Optical 2 0.85 TA Y1 SSO 12/18/06 H-2A-204 F11 ETS-8 5.80 TA Y1 GTO 02/24/07 H-2A 2024 F12 IGS-Radar 2/Optical 3V ~2.05 TA Y1 SSO 09/14/07 H-2A-2022 F13 SELENE Lunar Orbiter 3.09 TA Y1 HTO 02/23/08 H-2A/2024 F14 KIZUNA (WINDS) 4.85 TA Y1 GTO 01/23/09 H-2A-202 F15 GOSAT (Ibuki) 1.98 TA Y1 SSO 09/10/09 H-2B-304 TF1 HTV 1 16.00 TA Y2 ISS 11/28/09 H-2A-202 F16 IGS Optical 3 - TA Y1 SSO 05/20/10 H-2A-202 F17 Akatsuki/Ikaros 0.81 TA Y1 HCO 09/11/10 H-2A-202 F18 Michibiki 4.00 TA Y1 GTI 01/22/11 H-2B-304 F2 HTV-2 16.00 TA Y2 ISS 09/23/11 H-2A-202 F19 IGS-Optical 4 - TA Y1 SSO 12/12/11 H-2A-202 F20 IGS-Radar 3 - TA Y1 SSO 05/17/12 H-2A-202 F21 GCOM W1/Kompsat 3 2.848 TA Y1 SSO 07/21/12 H-2B-304 F3 HTV-3(Kounotori) 15.90 TA Y2 ISS 01/27/13 H-2A-202 F22 IGS Radar 4/Optical 5 - TA Y1 SSO 08/03/13 H-2B-304 F4 HTV-4 15.90 TA Y2 ISS 02/27/14 H-2A-202 F23 GPM Core Observatory 3.85 TA Y1 LEO 05/24/14 H-2A-202 F24 ALOS 2 + 4usats 2.275 TA Y1 SSO 10/07/14 H-2A-202 F25 Himawari 8 3.5 TA Y1 GTO 12/03/14 H-2A-202 F26 Hayabusa 2 0.71 TA Y1 HCO 02/01/15 H-2A-202 F27 IGS-Radar Spare - TA Y1 SSO 03/26/15 H-2A-202 F28 IGS Optical 5 TA Y1 SSO 08/19/15 H-2B-304 F5 HTV-5 16.2 TA Y2 ISS 11/24/15 H-2A-204 F29 Telstar 12V 4.9 TA Y1 GTO 02/17/16 H-2A-202 F30 Astro H 2.7 TA Y1 LEO 11/02/16 H-2A-202 F31 Himawari 9 3.5 TA Y1 GTO 12/09/16 H-2B-304 F6 HTV-6 ~15.0 TA Y2 ISS 01/24/17 H-2A-204 F32 DSN 2 TA Y1 GTO 03/17/17 H-2A-202 F33 IGS Radar 5 TA Y1 SSO 06/01/17 H-2A-202 F34 Michibiki 2 4.0 TA Y1 GTI 08/19/17 H-2A-204 F35 Michibiki 3 ~4.7 TA Y1 GTO 10/09/17 H-2A-202 F36 Michibiki 4 4.0 TA Y1 GTI 12/23/17 H-2A-202 F37 GCOM-C/SLATS 2.4 TA Y1 SSO 02/27/18 H-2A-202 F38 IGS Optical 6 TA Y1 SSO 06/12/18 H-2A-202 F39 IGS Radar 6 TA Y1 SSO 09/22/18 H-2B-304 F7 HTV-7 16.5 TA Y2 ISS 10/29/18 H-2A-202 F40 GOSat 2/KhalifaSat 2.257 TA Y1 SSO 09/24/19 H-2B-304 F8 HTV-8 16.5 TA Y2 ISS 02/09/20 H-2A-202 F41 IGS Optical 7 TA Y1 SSO 05/20/20 H-2B-304 F9 HTV-9 16.5 TA Y2 ISS 07/19/20 H-2A-202 F42 Hope 1.35 TA Y1 HCO 11/29/20 H-2A-202 F43 JDRS 1 TA Y1 GTO 10/26/21 H-2A-202 F44 QZS-1R (Michibiki 1R) 4.1 TA Y1 GTO 12/22/21 H-2A-204 F45 Inmarsat 6 F1 5.47 TA Y1 GTO+ 01/26/23 H-2A-202 F46 IGS Radar 7 ~4.0 TA Y1 SSO 03/07/23 H-3-22S TF1 ALOS 3 3.0 TA Y2 [FTO] 09/06/23 H-2A-202 F47 XRISM/SLIM 2.51 TA Y1 EEO 01/12/24 H-2A-202 F48 IGS Optical 8 TA Y1 SSO 02/17/24 H-3-22S TF2 VEP-4 2.975 TA Y2 SSO ------------------------------------------------------------------ NOTES: [H-2 1F] Test flight sent 2.39 tonne Vehicle Evaluation Payload (VEP) dummysat to GTO and 0.865 tonne Orbital Re-entry Experiment (OREX) to LEO. OREX completed one orbit and reentered to acquire re-entry data for HOPE spaceplane project. [H-2 2F] H-2 successfully inserted ETS 6 (Engineering Test Satellite) and its LAPS (Liquid Apogee Propolsion Stage) into GTO, but LAPS failed to raise orbit to GEO. Left in 8,565 x 38,677 km x 13.23 deg orbit. ETS 6 weighed 2 tonnes. APS weighed 1.8 tonnes. [H-2 3F] GMS 5 (Geostationary Meteorological Satellite) and Star 27 AKM weighing 0.747 tonnes were placed into GTO. SFU 1 (Space Flyer Unit) weighing 4 tonnes placed in LEO x 28.4 deg. SFU 1 was retrieved by STS-72 on 01/13/96. [H-2 6F] TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) weighed 3.62 tonnes. ETS 7 docking experiment consisted of 2.5 tonne target and 0.4 tonne chaser. All placed in LEO x 35 deg. [H-2 5F] COMETS (Communication Engineering Test Satellite) left in unusable orbit. The second Stage 2 burn cut off after 44 seconds instead of planned 3m 12s due to LE-5A engine nozzle failure. [H-2 8F] 1st stg engine H2 leak, failed at T + 4 minutes. [H-2A TF2] DASH (Demonstrator of Atmospheric reentry System with Hyperbolic velocity) was intended for LEO reentry test, but failed to separate. [H-2A TF3] 2.8 tonne DRTS (Data Relay Test Satellite) to GTO. 0.5 tonne USERS (Unmanned Space Experiment Recovery System) to LEO for reentry test. [H-2A F6] One SRB-A failed to separate. RSO signal transmitted at T + 11 minutes. [H-2B TF1] First H-2B with dual-engine core, carrying first HTV 1 cargo spacecraft to ISS. [H-2A F17] Akatsuki toward Venus orbit. Ikaros a solar sail demonstrator in HCO. [H-2A F26] Asteroid sample return, 6 year mission. HCO mass includes three microsats. [H-2A F29] First 3-burn second stage mission, to 2,700 x 36,585 km x 20.1 deg. [H-2A F34] To 250 x 36,140 km x 31.9 deg inclined GTO. Sat to raise self to 33,100 x 38,500 km x 44 deg quazi-geosynchronous orbit. [H-2A F37] First 3-burn Stg 2 mission. Sats to two different orbits. [H-2A F42] UAE Mars Mission. First H-2A trans-Mars launch. [H-2A F47] XRISM, 2.3 tonnes to 550 km LEO. SLIM, 0.21 tonnes to 500 x 98,000 km. SLIM to raise self to lunar flyby, then return to lunar orbit and landing. [H-3 TF1] 0137 UTC. First H-3 launch. Stg 2 no start. 669 km SSO planned. Probable electrical issue. Aborted attempt on 2/17/23. [H-3 TF2] 0022 UTC. First H-3 success. 666x680 km x 98.1 deg SSO. VEP-4 a 2.9 tonne dummysat. CE-SAT and TIRSAT totaled 75 kg. Stg 2 deorbited self. ABBREVIATIONS: [FTO]: Failed to Orbit [EEO]: Unintended Eliptical Earth Orbit [GTO]: Unintended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit [LEO]: Unintended/Improper Low Earth Orbit SSO = Sun Synchronous Orbit ISS = LEO x 51.6 deg to ISS GTO = Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit GTI = Geosynchronous Transer Orbit (Inclined) HCO = Heliocentric Orbit EEO = Elliptical Earth Orbit "KA" = Kagoshima Space Center "TA" = Tanegashima Space Center "Y" = Yoshinobu Launch Complex H-2/H-2A/H-2B/H-3 From 2001, H-2A and H-2B were Japan's primary launch vehicles for a quarter century. H-2A was an improved version of H-2, the country's first liquid hydrogen fueled booster. H-2B replaced the H-2A single-engine first stage with a wider body, dual-engine stage. During 2009-2020, H-2B boosted nine heavy HTV missions to ISS. H-3, meant to replace H-2A, first flew during 2023. H-2 Two-and-one-half stage H-2 could lift 4 metric tons (tonnes) to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). H-2A could lift nearly 6 tonnes . H-IIB launched 16.5 tonnes toward a low Earth orbit bound for ISS. National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) launched the first H-2 on February 3, 1994. Six more flew during the next five years. The first five H-2s succeeded, but the last two failed. The rocket, which consisted of 4 meter diameter first and second stages augmented by a pair of segmented solid rocket boosters (SRBs), turned out to be both costly and complex. Cost reduction was the primary reason that NASDA developed H-2A. H-2A The standard H-2A, dubbed H2A202, used simplified, lower-cost core motors and new, single-segment, lower-cost strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRB-As) to put 4.1 tons into GTO or 10 tons into low earth orbit (LEO). H2A202 weighed 287 tons at liftoff, excluding payload, and stood 52.5 meters tall. During the first 100 seconds of flight, the rocket was powered by two SRB-A strap-ons producing 230 tons vacuum thrust each to augment the single LE-7A core stage engine's 112 tons vacuum thrust. LE-7A, a staged combustion cycle engine that could throttle, ignited on the launch pad and burned for 400 seconds. The single-chamber engine gimbaled for pitch and yaw control. Auxiliary jets, fed by low-mixture ratio gas from the main engine preburner mixed with hydrogen gas, provided first stage roll control. The H-2A second stage was modified in several ways from its H-2 precursor. It was powered by a simplified, multi-restartable LE-5B LOX/LH2 engine, which provided 14 tons thrust for up to 534 seconds. LE-5B gimbaled for pitch and yaw control while the second stage reaction control system (RCS) used hydrazine jets for roll control during powered flight and for roll/pitch/yaw control during unpowered flight. The second stage used a simplified structure, consisting of separate propellant tanks held together by 24 carbon composite support trusses. (H-2's second stage tanks used a more difficult to manufacture common bulkhead.) The upper, 4-meter diameter second stage LH2 tank, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), was essentially the same structure supplied by MHI to Boeing for its Delta 3 and Delta 4M second stage LH2 tanks. An elliptical LOX tank, roughly 3 meters in diameter, sat below the LH2 tank and was housed within the intertank structure until the first stage fell away. The H-2A strap-down inertial guidance system, located on the second stage, controled the entire vehicle during flight. H-2A growth versions soon entered service. H2A2022, with two additional smaller solid strap on boosters (SSB), could boost 4.5 tons to GTO. H2A2024 used four SSBs to put 5 tons into GTO. H2A204, with four SRB-As, could put 6 tons into GTO. Larger versious of H-2A were studied, but dropped. Initial concepts for an H2A212 variant consisted of a standard H-2A with a parallel liquid rocket booster (LRB) powered by two LE-7A engines, capable of boosting 6 tons to GTO. This was replaced by plans to build an "H-2B" with a larger, 5.2 meter diameter first stage powered by two LE-7A engines. H-2A was stacked vertically in the Yoshinobu Launch Complex Vehicle Assembly Building at Tanegashima, a building that was enlarged to two bays for the H-2A program. On launch day it was rolled on a massive, rubber-wheeled mobile launch table to one of two seaside launch pads. For H-2A, a second pad was added near the original H-2 pad. Tanegashima launches could take place only during 190 days each year during January-February and June-September, and November-December due to agreements with local fisherman. The first H-2A launched in 2001. After five successful missions, the sixth H-IIA, launched in 2003, failed to reach orbit. That failure occurred when one of two SRB-A boosters failed to separate. The root cause of this failure was an insulation burn-through on the SRB-A nozzle that allowed hot gases to damage a separation detonating fuse. When the time came for the SRB-A to jettison, the fuse failed to fire and the solid booster remained attached to the first stage. The rocket continued to fly down range, with the second stage separating and starting, but the extra mass robbed the vehicle of so much velocity that it was not possible to reach orbit. A range safety destruct command was transmitted 11 minutes into the flight. H-2A successfully returned to flight with a beefed up SRB-A design in 2005. In 2007, H-IIA F13 successfully launched Japan's first large lunar orbiter, SELENE (KAGUYA), "The largest lunar mission since the Apollo program". The SELENE complex weighed about 3.09 tonnes at liftoff, making it the heaviest lunar explorer since Luna 24 in 1976. H-2A F14, a 2024 model used to launch the KIZUNA "Internet satellite" to GTO in 2008, used improved SRB-A booster nozzles and a new LE-5B-2 (improved LE-5B) second stage engine. The changes increased SRB-A vacuum specific impulse from 280 seconds to 282.5 seconds. The LE-5B-2 engine provided 448 second specific impulse, a 1 second improvement from LE-5B. The changes allow more payload. KIZUNA weighed 4.85 tonnes at liftoff. H-2A was formerly rated for only 4.7 tonnes to GTO. After 2008, use of SSB motors was discontinued, resulting in retirement of the 2022 and 2024 types. Seven 2024 launches and three 2022 launches took place between 2002 and 2008. H-2B H-2B was developed to launch Japan's H-2 Transfer Vehicle (HTV), an unmanned spacecraft designed to haul cargo to the International Space Station. HTV, which weighed up to 16.5 tonnes, could haul up to 6 tonnes of wet and dry cargo. H-2B consisted of a 5.2 meter diameter core stage, powered by two LE-7A engines, that was augmented by four SRB-A strap on motors. The second stage was essentially the same as the H-2A version. A new 5.1 meter diameter payload fairing was used for the initial HTV flights. In addition to its LEO heavy lifting capability, the more powerful H-2B rocket could in theory lift up to 8 tonnes to GTO. This ability made H-2B the third most capable GTO launch vehicle in the world at the time, after Delta 4 Heavy and Ariane 5 ECA. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched its first H-2B, carrying Japan's first HTV ISS cargo spacecraft, from Tanegashima Space Center on September 10, 2009. The 56.6 meter tall, 531 tonne 2.5 stage rocket lifted off from Yoshinobu Launch Pad 2 at 17:01 UTC to start H-2B Test Flight 1. HTV-1 entered a 51.6 degree inclination low earth orbit about 15 minutes later. All four SRB-A boosters ignited on the pad and burned for 1 minute 50 seconds. The twin LE-7A engines burned for 5 minutes 47 seconds. The 4 meter diameter second stage, powered by a single LE-5B LOX/LH2 engine, burned for about 8 minutes 13 seconds to inject HTV-1 into orbit. H-3 Japan's H3 Launch Vehicle uses two liquid hydrogen/oxygen core stages augmented by up to four strap-on solid rocket boosters. H3 would use lower cost main engines and streamlined launch processing techniques. IT would lift payloads ranging from 4 tonnes to a 500 km sun synchronous orbit using no solid boosters to 6.5 tonnes to geosynchronous transfer orbit using four boosters. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) officially began development of H3 during 2013, but work on the heart of the new machine - its innovative first stage engine - began in 2006. That is when Mitsubishi and IHI began work on the LE-X Expander Bleed Cycle (EBC) engine. LE-X led to the LE-9 engine that powers H3. The expander bleed cycle diverts hydrogen from the engine turbopump to the main combustion chamber's cooling channels and uses the resulting heated hydrogen to drive the turbines before it is injected into the engine exhaust. Expander cycle engines have flown on low-thrust upper stages before - Japan's LE-5A and LE-5B were second stage EBC engines - but have never been used for a high-thrust first stage application. The design is simpler than a staged combustion design and results in a more robust engine operating at lower pressures and temperatures. A tradeoff is slightly lower specific impulse. LE-9 is the highest thrust EBC engine yet developed. H3 is a 2 to 2.5 stage rocket. The first stage, loaded with more than 200 tonnes of propellant, is powered by two or three new LE-9 engines, each producing about 150 tonnes of thrust at a 432 second vacuum specific impulse. Two or four SRB-3 type solid rocket boosters can be attached to the first stage, each making about 220 tonnes of thrust. The second stage will be powered by an improved LE-5B engine making 14 tonnes of thrust at a specific impulse of at least 448 seconds. H3 will stand about 57 to 63 meters tall, depending on payload fairing, and will be about 5.2 meters in diameter. H3 will launch from Tagenashima's Yoshinobu launch pad No. 2, previously used by H-2B. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is the prime H-3 contractor. The first H3, launched on March 7, 2023, failed when its second stage failed to ignite after successful SRB-3 and first stage burns. The cause appeared to be an electrical or electronic failure that prevented a start command from being issued to the LE-5B-3 engine. References Jonathan's Space Report Launch Vehicle Database "http://www.planet4589.org/space/lvdb/index.html" Encylopedia Astronautica "http://www.astronautix.com/" Gunter's Space Page "http://www.skyrocket.de/space" H-IIA Brief Description, NASDA, December 2001 H-IIB Product Description, NASDA, 2009