A staff member from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was photographed alongside the H3 rocket's first stage at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works Tobishima Plant in Tobishima, Aichi Prefecture. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the upcoming launch of the H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, carrying the Advanced Land Observation Satellite, ALOS-4, equipped with advanced technology for various tasks including disaster response and monitoring military activities.
The ALOS-4 satellite, an upgrade from ALOS-2, boasts a wider observation capability including Earth observation, military activity monitoring like missile launches, and data collection for mapping purposes. The H3 rocket has undergone two previous launches, with the first attempt resulting in a failure due to the second stage engine not igniting and the subsequent launch being a success carrying observation microsatellites and an ALOS mockup. JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have been collaborating on the H3 rocket's development to replace the current H-2A rocket, aiming for a more cost-effective and commercially viable space transport capability.