VEP 3, Tsubasa & DASH

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

02:45:00

Monday February 4, 2002

Mission Details

Launch Notes

First flight of H-IIA 2024.

Tsubasa

Wiki

MDS 1 (Mission Demonstration Satellite 1), renamed Tsubasa after launch, is a Japanese [NASDA] satellite that was launched by a H-2A-2024 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center at 02:32 UT on 4 February 2002. It was renamed Tsubasa (meaning Wings) after the successful launch. The 480 kg satellite is intended to test the durability of commercially available semiconductors, solar batteries and computers. It is spin stabilized around the sun pointing axis.

Low Earth Orbit

1 Payload

449 kilograms

DASH

Wiki

DASH (Demonstrator of Atmospheric reentry System with Hyperbolic velocity) was intended to demonstrate the reentry of a capsule with hyperbolic speed for later application in return capsules of interplanetary probes. The capsule has the same properties as the return capsule of the MUSES C (Hayabusa) mission. After launch, the DASH spacecraft did most probably not separate from the VEP 3 spacecraft, which served as a carrier. No contact could be established.

Elliptical

2 Payloads

108 kilograms

VEP 3

Wiki

The VEP 3 (Vehicle Evaluation Payload 3) was a demonstration payload flown on the second flight of the H-2A launch vehicle. It consisted of instruments to monitor the thermal and acoustic launch environment on the dual launch adaptor to understand the conditions satellites will encounter while riding H-2A rockets to space. It remained intentionally connected to the cone section of the dual launch system. VEP 3 carried acoustic sensors, accelerometers and temperature sensors. VEP 3 was also to deploy the DASH reentry demonstrator, before it was separated from the launch vehicle, but this small satellite failed apparently to separate from VEP 3.

Geostationary Transfer Orbit

1 Payload

33 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
H-IIA 2024

Active 2002 to 2008

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries logo

Agency

MHI

Rocket

Height: 53m

Payload to Orbit

GTO: 5,000 kg

Fairing

Diameter: 4.07m

Height: 12m

Stages

2

Strap-ons

4

Launch Site

LA-Y1

Tanegashima Space Center, Japan

Fastest Turnaround

25 days 4 hours

Stats

H-IIA


2nd

Mission

1st

Mission of 2002

2002


3rd

Orbital launch attempt