Mu-3C

M-3C

Mission Profile

The Mu-3C (M-3C) was a Japanese solid-propellant three-stage launch vehicle developed by the University of Tokyo's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) for small scientific satellite launches. Standing 20.2 m tall with a 1.4 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 41 tonnes, it generated 1,060 kN of first-stage thrust and could place approximately 100 kg into low Earth orbit. First flown in February 1974, the Mu-3C was part of Japan's pioneering Mu family of solid rockets that progressively built the nation's independent orbital launch capability throughout the 1970s and 1980s.