Japan launches H3 rocket with Michibiki positioning satellite

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched an H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center at 04:23 local time on 11 August 2026. The rocket carried the Michibiki No. 7 positioning satellite, which reached its planned orbit about 30 minutes later.

The flight was the second consecutive successful H3 launch after a failure in December 2025 that lost the Michibiki No. 5 satellite. Seven of the nine H3 flights to date have now succeeded. The Michibiki system is Japan’s regional navigation constellation. It complements U.S. GPS and can deliver positioning accuracy to several centimeters. Five satellites were already providing service; the new unit brings the operational count to six. The government aims for a constellation of seven satellites to provide continuous coverage without reliance on foreign systems, with a longer-term target of eleven.

Project managers cited technical improvements made after the previous failure. The launch had been delayed by weather, including a typhoon. The H3 is Japan’s current flagship rocket, succeeding the long-running H-IIA series.