TANEGASHIMA, JAPAN / RankWire.AI / – Japan successfully launched its H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki No. 7 navigation satellite on Tuesday. H3 Flight No. 9 lifted off at 4:23:31 a.m. Japan time from the Tanegashima Space Center. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, confirmed satellite separation about 29 minutes and four seconds after liftoff. The agency said the rocket followed its planned flight path and placed QZS-7 into its predetermined orbit.
Michibiki No. 7 forms part of Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, known as QZSS. The satellite network provides positioning, navigation and timing services that work alongside the U.S. Global Positioning System. Japan has operated QZSS services since November 2018. The system serves Japan and can also support users across parts of the Asia-Oceania region. Japan’s Cabinet Office oversees the QZSS program through its National Space Policy Secretariat.
JAXA originally scheduled the QZS-7 mission for Feb. 1, 2026. Officials postponed that launch while they investigated the failure of H3 Flight No. 8 in December 2025. A February update said the mission would not proceed within the earlier launch period ending March 31. JAXA later scheduled an Aug. 10 attempt after another weather assessment. Weather conditions then shifted the mission to Aug. 11, when the rocket completed the flight successfully.
H3 mission follows earlier launch setback
H3 Flight No. 8 launched Michibiki No. 5 from Tanegashima on Dec. 22, 2025, but the mission failed. JAXA said the second-stage engine did not complete its second ignition normally and shut down too early. The rocket therefore failed to place QZS-5 into its planned orbit. Japan returned the H3 to flight on June 12, 2026, with Flight No. 6. That test vehicle reached its predetermined orbit and deployed several small payloads.
The H3 serves as Japan’s new mainstay launch vehicle and succeeds the H-IIA rocket family. JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries worked together on its development. The first H3 test flight failed in March 2023 after its second-stage engine did not ignite. A second test flight succeeded in February 2024. Later H3 missions carried government, Earth observation and cargo spacecraft. The H-IIA completed its 50th and final launch in June 2025 from Tanegashima.
Michibiki expands Japan’s navigation network
Japan designed QZSS to strengthen satellite positioning coverage while remaining compatible with GPS. The system uses satellites in quasi-zenith and geostationary orbits. Its services include positioning, navigation and timing, along with several forms of positioning augmentation. The Cabinet Office published updated performance information in July for a six-satellite operating phase following the start of QZS-7 operations. That phase reflects the satellites available after the loss of QZS-5 during the December launch failure.
Japan continues to maintain published plans for a seven-satellite QZSS constellation. Official technical material released before Tuesday’s launch describes QZS-7 as part of the network’s latest expansion. The Aug. 11 mission achieved its immediate launch objectives, with JAXA confirming both spacecraft separation and insertion into the planned orbit. The successful H3 Flight No. 9 also added another completed mission to Japan’s current launch vehicle program following the successful H3 test flight in June.
