Epsilon with Launchpad (Uchinoura)

The Epsilon Launch Vehicle is a Japanese rocket designed specifically for launching scientific satellites. It was created as a more cost-effective alternative to the M-V rocket, which was retired in 2006. Developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) starting in 2007, the Epsilon rocket is capable of carrying a 590 kg payload into Sun-synchronous orbit.

The launch pad for the Epsilon rocket is located at the Uchinoura Space Center, which was previously used for Mu launch vehicles. The first Epsilon launch, carrying the SPRINT-A scientific satellite, took place on 14 September 2013 at 05:00 UTC (14:00 JST), with a cost of US$38 million.

However, the first planned launch of the Epsilon rocket on 27 August 2013 had to be aborted 19 seconds before liftoff due to a botched data transmission. A ground-based computer attempted to receive data from the launch vehicle 0.07 seconds before it was actually transmitted.

The initial version of the Epsilon rocket has a payload capacity to low Earth orbit of up to 500 kilograms. The operational version is expected to have the ability to place 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) into a 250 by 500 km (160 by 310 mi) orbit or 700 kg (1,500 lb) into a circular orbit at 500 km (310 mi) with the aid of a hydrazine fueled stage.

Uchinoura Space Center

The Uchinoura Space Center, located in the town of Kimotsuki, Kagoshima Prefecture, is a Japanese space launch facility. Previously known as the Kagoshima Space Center (KSC), it was the primary launch site for all of Japan’s scientific satellites before the retirement of the M-V launch vehicles in 2006. The center is still used for suborbital launches and has recently been utilized for the Epsilon orbital launch vehicle. It also hosts antennas for communication with interplanetary space probes.