H-I

❧

Size
H-I rocket
Function	Medium-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (production) McDonnell Douglas (design)
Country of origin	Japan (production) United States (design)
Height	42 m (138 ft)
Diameter	2.44 m (8 ft 0 in)
Mass	142,260 kg (313,630 lb)
Stages	2 or 3
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass	3,200 kg (7,100 lb)
Payload to GTO
Mass	1,100 kg (2,400 lb)

Associated rockets
Family	Delta
Based on	N-II
Derivative work	H-II
Comparable	Delta 3000, PSLV
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	Tanegashima, Osaki
Total launches	9
Success(es)	9
First flight	12 August 1986
Last flight	11 February 1992

Boosters – Castor 2
No. boosters	6 or 9
Powered by	1 × TX-354-3
Maximum thrust	258.9 kN (58,200 lb_f)
Specific impulse	262 s (2.57 km/s)
Burn time	37 seconds
Propellant	HTPB/Al
First stage – Thor-ELT
Powered by	1 × MB-3-3
Maximum thrust	866.7 kN (194,800 lb_f)
Specific impulse	290 s (2.8 km/s)
Burn time	270 seconds
Propellant	RP-1/LOX
Second stage
Powered by	1 × LE-5
Maximum thrust	102.9 kN (23,100 lb_f)
Specific impulse	450 s (4.4 km/s)
Burn time	370 seconds
Propellant	LH2/LOX
Third stage (optional)
Powered by	1 × UM-129A
Maximum thrust	77.4 kN (17,400 lb_f)
Specific impulse	291 s (2.85 km/s)
Burn time	68 seconds
Propellant	Solid

[edit on Wikidata]

The H–I (H–1) was a Japanese medium-lift launch vehicle, consisting of a licence-produced American first stage and set of booster rockets, and all-Japanese upper stages. The H in the name represented the use of liquid hydrogen fuel in the second stage. It was launched nine times between 1986 and 1992. It replaced the N-II, and was subsequently replaced by the H-II, which used the same upper stages with a Japanese first stage.

The first stage of the H–I was a licence-built version of the Thor-ELT, which was originally constructed for the US Delta 1000 rocket. The stage had already been produced under licence in Japan for the N-I and N-II rockets. The second stage was entirely Japanese, using an LE-5 engine, the first rocket engine in Japan to use a cryogenic fuel. On launches to Geosynchronous transfer orbits, a Nissan–built UM-69A solid motor was used as a third stage. Depending on the mass of the payload, either six or nine US Castor 2 SRMs were used as booster rockets.

Launch history

Flight No.	Date / time (UTC)	Rocket, Configuration	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Launch outcome
F15	12 August 1986, 20:45	H-I	Tanegashima, Osaki	EGP (Ajisai)	LEO	Success
F15	9 SRMs, 2 stages
F17	27 August 1987, 09:20	H-I	Tanegashima, Osaki	ETS-5 (Kiku-5)	GTO	Success
F17	9 SRMs, 3 stages
F18	19 February 1988, 10:05	H-I	Tanegashima, Osaki	CS-3A (Sakura-3A)	GTO	Success
F18	9 SRMs, 3 stages
F19	16 September 1988, 09:59	H-I	Tanegashima, Osaki	CS-3B (Sakura-3B)	GTO	Success
F19	9 SRMs, 3 stages
F20	5 September 1989, 19:11	H-I	Tanegashima, Osaki	GMS-4 (Himawari-4)	GTO	Success
F20	6 SRMs, 3 stages
F21	7 February 1990, 01:33	H-I	Tanegashima, Osaki	MOS-1B (Momo-1B)	LEO	Success
F21	9 SRMs, 2 stages
F22	28 August 1990, 09:05	H-I	Tanegashima, Osaki	BS-3A (Yuri-3A)	GTO	Success
F22	9 SRMs, 3 stages
F23	25 August 1991, 08:40	H-I	Tanegashima, Osaki	BS-3B (Yuri-3B)	GTO	Success
F23	9 SRMs, 3 stages
F24	11 February 1992, 01:50	H-I	Tanegashima, Osaki	Japanese Earth Resource Satellite (FUYO-1)	LEO	Success
F24	9 SRMs, 2 stages

When the H–1 was announced in 1986, company representative Tsuguo Tatakawe clarified that it would only be used to launch indigenous (i.e. Japanese) payloads, that only two launches per year could be mounted, and that the launch window consisted of a four-month period in which Japanese fishing fleets were not active (the falling launch boosters may damage fishing nets in the ocean waters).^[1]

References

↑ Japan's H–1 and H–2 rockets, Air & Space/Smithsonian, February/March 1987, p. 19

Wade, Mark. "Delta". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 17 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
McDowell, Jonathan. "Thor". Orbital and Suborbital Launch Database. Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
Krebs, Gunter. "H-1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 August 2008.

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Current	Angara 1.2 A5 Ariane 6 Atlas V Ceres 1 1S Chollima-1 Electron Eris^† Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha Gravity-1 GSLV H3 Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 3 KAIROS^† Kaituozhe 2 Kinetica 1 Kuaizhou 1 1A 11 Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 6A 6C 7 7A 8 11 11H 12 LVM3 Minotaur I IV V C New Glenn Nuri OS-M1^† Pegasus XL Proton-M PSLV Qaem 100 Qased Shavit 2 Simorgh SLS Block 1 Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB Spectrum^† SSLV Starship Tianlong-2 Unha Vega C Vulcan Centaur Zhuque 2E
In development	Antares 330 Bloostar Blue Whale 1 Ceres-2 Cyclone-4M Deca Eclipse Epsilon S Gravity-2 HANBIT-NANO Hyperbola-2 Irtysh Kinetica 2 2H 3 KSLV-III Kuaizhou 21 31 Long March 9 10 Miura 5 Neutron New Line 1 NGLV Nova OS-M 2 4 Orbex Prime Pallas-1 Red Dwarf RFA One SLS Block 1B Block 2 Soyuz-7 Terran R Tianlong-3 VLM Vega E Zero Zhuque 3 Zuljanah
Retired	Antares 110 120 130^† 230 230+ Ariane 1 2 3 4 5 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able^† Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV IV Heavy Diamant Dnepr Energia Epsilon Europa I^† II^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIA H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos original 1 2/2I 3 3M Lambda 4S LauncherOne Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan^† Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 2-1v Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Rocket 3 RS1^† Safir 1 1A 1B Saturn I IB V Scout X-1 Blue Scout II^† X-2^† X-2M X-3 X-3M X-4 X-2B^† B A B-1 D-1 A-1 E-1 F-1 G-1 Shavit original 1 SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Terran 1^† Thor Able Ablestar 1 2 Agena A B D Burner 1 2 Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena SLV-2G SLV-2H Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon R-36-O original 2 3 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard Vega original VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M 2FG 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque 1^† 2
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)

Japanese orbital launch systems

Space agencies

JAXA

Active	H3
Planned	Epsilon S
Retired	Epsilon H-IIA H-IIB SS-520 (Three stage variant)

ISAS

Retired	Lambda (4S) Mu (4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V)

NASDA

Retired	N-I‡ N-II‡ H-I‡ H-II

NASDA/ISAS

Retired	J-I¤

Private sector

IST

Planned	ZERO DECA

Space One

Active	KAIROS

Galaxy Express

Abandoned	GX‡

‡ Based around licence-produced US rockets; ¤ Never flew an orbital flight (only 1 suborbital flight performed)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Mitsubishi

Subsidiaries

Joint ventures

Current	Dubai Metro (25%) Japanese Aero Engine Corporation Launch Services Alliance Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklifts
Defunct	Atmea Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation

Products

Aircraft	F-1 F-2 F-15J H-60 MH2000 Mitsubishi SpaceJet T-2 X-2
Armored vehicles	Type 61 Type 74 Nana-yon Type 89 IFV Type 90 Kyū-maru Type 10
Launch vehicles	N-I N-II H-I H-II H-IIA H-IIB H3
Missiles	Type 88 Type 89 Type 90 Type 91
Ships	Akizuki class Atago class Hatakaze class Kongō class Takanami class
Submarines	Harushio class Oyashio class Sōryū class Taigei class
Other	Crystal Mover and Urbanismo Green Mover Max MEISTeR Mitsubishi APWR Wakamaru

People

Kazuo Tsukuda

Other

Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars

Products currently in development shown in italics

Category

Thor and Delta rockets

Rockets

Thor

Delta

Alphabetical	Delta A Delta B Delta C Delta D Delta E Delta F Delta G Delta J Delta L Delta M Delta N
Numerical	Delta 0100 Delta 1000 Delta 2000 Delta 3000 Delta 4000 Delta 5000 Delta 6000 Delta 7000 Delta 8000 Delta 9000
Modern	Delta II Delta III Delta IV Delta IV Heavy

Export

Launch sites

Canaveral	(S)LC-17 LC-18B SLC-37B
Johnston	LE-1 LE-2
Tanegashima	Osaki
Vandenberg	SLC-1 SLC-2 SLC-3 SLC-6 SLC-10
Bases	Bardney Breighton Caistor Carnaby Catfoss Coleby Grange Driffield Feltwell Folkingham Full Sutton Harrington Hemswell Ludford Magna Melton Mowbray Mepal North Luffenham North Pickenham Polebrook Shepherds Grove Tuddenham

Components

Boosters

First stages

Common Booster Core

Upper Stages

Delta	Delta-A Delta-D Delta-E Delta-F Delta-K Delta-P DCSS
Other	Able Ablestar Agena Altair Burner FW-4D IABS PAM-D Star UM-129

Engines

Manufacturers

Rocket	Douglas McDonnell Douglas Boeing United Launch Alliance
Engines	Aerojet Alliant Rocketdyne Thiokol TRW

Launches

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H-I

Launch history

See also

References