L-4S

Lambda-4S

Mission Profile

L-4S (Lambda-4S) was a Japanese four-stage solid-propellant orbital launch vehicle developed by the University of Tokyo's Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science, representing Japan's first attempt to achieve independent orbital spaceflight. Standing 16.5 meters tall with a liftoff mass of 9,400 kg and generating 370 kN of thrust, it could place 26 kg into low Earth orbit. After four failed attempts beginning in September 1966, the fifth and final L-4S successfully placed the Ohsumi satellite into orbit on February 11, 1970, making Japan the fourth nation to independently launch an orbital satellite. This remarkable achievement, accomplished by a university team rather than a government agency, laid the foundation for Japan's entire subsequent space launch program.