H-II | SFU & Himawari 5

Launch Provider & Rocket

• Provider: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Government)
• Rocket: H-II — H-II family

Mission

SFU (Space Flyer Unit) was a Japanese space laboratory launched by the same H-2 + SSB rocket that launched GMS 5. It carried an infrared telescope (IRTS), and instruments and supplies for microgravity experiments. Himawari 5 was a Japanese geostationary meteorological satellite built by Hughes Space and Communications.

• Type: Astrophysics
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Launch Site

• Pad: Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-1
• Location: Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
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