H-IIA 2020

H-IIA 202

Mission Profile

H-IIA 202 (also designated H-IIA 2020) is the baseline configuration of Japan's H-IIA launch vehicle, featuring two strap-on solid rocket boosters alongside the liquid hydrogen-fueled core stage. Standing 53 meters tall with a liftoff mass of 289,000 kg and generating 5,724 kN of thrust, it can deliver up to 10,000 kg to low Earth orbit. Making its maiden flight in August 2001, the H-IIA 202 has become Japan's primary workhorse for launching government satellites and commercial payloads, achieving a high reliability record after an early failure was addressed. It marked Japan's transition from the troubled H-II to a more mature and dependable heavy-lift capability.