Mu-3S

M-3S

Mission Profile

Mu-3S (M-3S) is a three- to four-stage solid-propellant Japanese launch vehicle developed by ISAS as an improved successor to the Mu-3C, with enhanced second-stage performance and improved guidance. Standing 27.8 meters tall with a 520 kg LEO capacity, it first flew on 17 February 1980 and successfully launched eight scientific satellites including the Tenma X-ray observatory and Astron ultraviolet telescope. Mu-3S established Japan's reliable solid-propellant science launch capability through the early 1980s.