H-II family

H-IIA

RetiredJapan Mitsubishi Heavy IndustriesSpec: 202

H-IIA (H2A) is an active expendable launch system operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The liquid-fueled H-IIA rockets have been used to launch satellites into geostationary orbit, to launch a lunar orbiting spacecraft, and to launch Akatsuki, which studied the planet Venus. Launches occur at the Tanegashima Space Center.

Flights flown50

Success rate98%49/50

Payload to LEO10,000kg

Cost per kg to LEO$9,000$90M per launch

Maiden flight2001-08-29

Peak year20176 flights

H-IIA is built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan. Company background, funding, contracts and news for this operator are tracked on Space Index. It first flew on 29 August 2001 and last flew on 28 June 2025.

Flight record

50 records

98% success rate49 of 50 flown · 1 failed

2001peak 2017 · 6 flights2025

First flight2001-08-29

Latest flight2025-06-28

Failures1

Consecutive successes35

Fastest turnaround53d

Payload

Per mission profile

Low Earth orbit	10,000kg
Geostationary transfer orbit	4,100kg
Launch cost	$90M
Cost per kg to LEO	$9,000

Vehicle

202 spec

Stages	2
Length	53m
Diameter	4m
Launch mass	285t
Liftoff thrust	2,260kN
Maiden flight	2001-08-29
Reusable	No

Variant lineage

4 configurations

Each configuration of H-IIA is tracked separately upstream. The specifications above describe H-IIA 202 only: the canonical configuration, chosen as the active one, or the most-flown where none is active. They are not a blend across the family. The flight record below covers every H-IIA flight.

Configuration	LL2 launches	LEO kg	Maiden	Status
H-IIA 202	35	10,000	2001-08-29	Retired
H-IIA 2024	7		2002-02-04	Retired
H-IIA 204	5		2006-12-18	Retired
H-IIA 2022	3		2005-02-26	Retired

Pads used

1 pad

Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-150

Orbits delivered

7 orbits

Sun-Synchronous Orbit25Geostationary Transfer Orbit12Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit5Heliocentric N/A3Low Earth Orbit2Lunar Orbit2Elliptical Orbit1

Compare

Same payload class

vs Falcon 9 vs Soyuz U vs Space Shuttle vs Tsiklon-3 vs Long March 2D vs Vostok 8A92M

Launch history

50 launches

Date	Mission	Pad	Orbit	Outcome
2025-06-28	H-IIA 202 \| GOSAT-GW (Ibuki GW)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2024-09-26	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Radar 8	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2024-01-12	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Optical 8	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2023-09-06	H-IIA 202 \| XRISM & SLIM	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Lunar Orbit	Success
2023-01-26	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Radar 7	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2021-12-22	H-IIA 204 \| Inmarsat-6 F1	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2021-10-26	H-IIA 202 \| QZS-1R	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit	Success
2020-11-29	H-IIA 202 \| JDRS-1	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2020-07-19	H-IIA 202 \| Hope (Emirates Mars Mission)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Heliocentric N/A	Success
2020-02-09	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Optical 7	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2018-10-29	H-IIA 202 \| KhalifaSat & GOSAT-2	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2018-06-12	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Radar 6	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2018-02-27	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Optical 6	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2017-12-23	H-IIA 202 \| GCOM-C1 & SLATS	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2017-10-09	H-IIA 202 \| Michibiki 4 (QZS-4)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit	Success
2017-08-19	H-IIA 204 \| Michibiki 3 (QZS-3)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2017-06-01	H-IIA 202 \| Michibiki 2 (QZS-2)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit	Success
2017-03-17	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Radar 5	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2017-01-24	H-IIA 204 \| DSN 2 (Kirameki 2)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2016-11-02	H-IIA 202 \| Himawari-9	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2016-02-17	H-IIA 202 \| Astro-H (Hitomi)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Low Earth Orbit	Success
2015-11-24	H-IIA 204 \| Telstar 12 VANTAGE	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2015-03-26	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Optical 5	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2015-02-01	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Radar Spare	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2014-12-03	H-IIA 202 \| Hayabusa-2	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Heliocentric N/A	Success
2014-10-07	H-IIA 202 \| Himawari-8	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2014-05-24	H-IIA 202 \| ALOS-2	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2014-02-27	H-IIA 202 \| GPM-Core	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Low Earth Orbit	Success
2013-01-27	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Radar 4 & IGS Optical 5V	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2012-05-17	H-IIA 202 \| GCOM-W1	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2011-12-12	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Radar 3	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2011-09-23	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Optical 4	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2010-09-11	H-IIA 202 \| Michibiki (QZS-1)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit	Success
2010-05-20	H-IIA 202 \| Akatsuki (Planet-C)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Heliocentric N/A	Success
2009-11-28	H-IIA 202 \| IGS-Optical 3	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2009-01-23	H-IIA 202 \| GOSAT	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2008-02-23	H-IIA 2024 \| Kizuna	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2007-09-14	H-IIA 2022 \| Kaguya	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Lunar Orbit	Success
2007-02-24	H-IIA 2024 \| IGS Radar 2 & IGS Optical 3V	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2006-12-18	H-IIA 204 \| Kiku-8	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2006-09-11	H-IIA 202 \| IGS Optical 2	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2006-02-18	H-IIA 2024 \| Himawari-7 (MTSAT-2)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2006-01-24	H-IIA 2022 \| Daichi	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2005-02-26	H-IIA 2022 \| Himawari-6 (MTSAT-1R)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2003-11-29	H-IIA 2024 \| IGS Radar (2) & IGS Optical (2)	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Failure
2003-03-28	H-IIA 2024 \| IGS Radar 1 & IGS Optical 1	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2002-12-14	H-IIA 202 \| Midori-2	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Sun-Synchronous Orbit	Success
2002-09-10	H-IIA 2024 \| USERS & DRTS	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geostationary Transfer Orbit	Success
2002-02-04	H-IIA 2024 \| Tsubasa	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Elliptical Orbit	Success
2001-08-29	H-IIA 202 \| LRE	Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1	Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit	Success

Specifications from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs, launch records from Space Index. Derived figures are computed here; see sources and method.