N-II (rocket)
Encyclopedia
The N-II or N-2 was a derivative of the American
Delta
rocket, produced under licence in Japan
. It used a Thor-ELT first stage, a Delta-F second stage, nine Castor SRMs, and on most flights either a Star-37E or Burner-2
upper stage, identical to the US Delta 0100 series configurations. Eight were launched between 1981 and 1987, before it was replaced by the H-I
, which featured Japanese-produced upper stages. All eight launches were successful.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Delta
Delta rocket
Delta is a versatile family of expendable launch systems that has provided space launch capability in the United States since 1960. There have been more than 300 Delta rockets launched, with a 95 percent success rate. Two Delta launch systems – Delta II and Delta IV – are in active use...
rocket, produced under licence in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It used a Thor-ELT first stage, a Delta-F second stage, nine Castor SRMs, and on most flights either a Star-37E or Burner-2
Burner (rocket stage)
The Burner and Burner 2 rocket stages have been used as upper stages of launch vehicles such as the Thor-Burner and Delta since 1965. The currently available Burner 2 is powered by a Star 37 solid rocket motor....
upper stage, identical to the US Delta 0100 series configurations. Eight were launched between 1981 and 1987, before it was replaced by the H-I
H-I
The H-I or H-1 was a Japanese liquid-fuelled carrier rocket, consisting of a licence-produced American first stage and set of booster rockets, and all-Japanese upper stages. It was launched nine times between 1986 and 1992...
, which featured Japanese-produced upper stages. All eight launches were successful.
Launch history
| Date/Time (GMT) | S/N | Payload | Orbit | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 February 1981, 08:30 | 7(F) | ETS-4 (Kiku-3) | MEO Medium Earth Orbit Medium Earth orbit , sometimes called intermediate circular orbit , is the region of space around the Earth above low Earth orbit and below geostationary orbit .... |
|
| 10 August 1981, 20:03 | 8(F) | GMS-2 (Himawari-2) | GTO | |
| 4 February 1983, 08:37 | 10(F) | CS-2A (Sakura-2A) | GTO | |
| 5 August 1983, 20:29 | 11(F) | CS-2B (Sakura-2B) | GTO | |
| 23 January 1984, 07:58 | 12(F) | BS-2A (Yuri-2A) | GTO | |
| 13(F) | GMS-3 (Himawari-3) | GTO | >- | 12 February 1986, 07:55 | 14(F) | BS-2B (Yuri-2B) | GTO |
| 19 February 1987, 01:23 | 16(F) | MOS-1 (Momo-1) | LEO Low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km... |
|