M-V

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Japanese solid-fuel rocket designed to launch scientific satellites

title: "M-V" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["solid-fuel-rockets", "space-launch-vehicles-of-japan"] description: "Japanese solid-fuel rocket designed to launch scientific satellites" topic_path: "geography/japan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-V" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Japanese solid-fuel rocket designed to launch scientific satellites ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox rocket"]

Field	Value
name	M-V
image	M-V launching ASTRO-E2.jpeg
caption	The fifth M-V launches with the ASTRO-EII spacecraft.
function	All-solid small orbital launch vehicle
manufacturer	Nissan Motors (-2000)
IHI AEROSPACE (-2006)
country-origin	Japan
height	30.8 m
diameter	2.5 m
mass	137500 -
stages	3 or 4
location	low Earth orbit
kilos	1800 kg
location	polar LEO
kilos	1300 kg
payloads	HALCA, Nozomi,
ASTRO-E, Hayabusa
Suzaku, AKARI
Hinode
status	Retired
sites	Uchinoura M-V
first	M-V: 10 February 2000
M-V KM: 12 February 1997
last	M-V: 22 September 2006
M-V KM: 9 May 2003
launches	7 (M-V: 4, M-V KM: 3)
success	6 (M-V: 3, M-V KM: 3)
fail	1 (M-V)
type	stage
stageno	First
name	M-14
engines	1 solid
solid	yes
thrust	3780.345 kN
SI	246 isp
burntime	46 seconds
fuel	Solid
type	stage
stageno	Second
name	M-24
engines	1 solid
solid	yes
thrust	1245.287 kN
SI	203 isp
burntime	71 seconds
fuel	Solid
type	stage
stageno	Third
name	M-34
engines	1 solid
solid	yes
thrust	294 kN
SI	301 isp
burntime	102 seconds
fuel	Solid
type	stage
diff	M-V KM
stageno	Fourth
name	KM-V1
engines	1 solid
solid	yes
thrust	51.9 kN
SI	298 isp
burntime	73 seconds
fuel	Solid
::

| name = M-V | image = M-V launching ASTRO-E2.jpeg | caption = The fifth M-V launches with the ASTRO-EII spacecraft.

| function = All-solid small orbital launch vehicle | manufacturer = Nissan Motors (-2000) IHI AEROSPACE (-2006)

| country-origin = Japan

The M-V rocket, also called M-5 or Mu-5, was a Japanese solid-fuel rocket designed to launch scientific satellites. It was a member of the Mu family of rockets. The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) began developing the M-V in 1990 at a cost of 15 billion yen. It has three stages and is 30.7 m high, 2.5 m in diameter, and weighs about 140000 kg. It was capable of launching a satellite weighing 1800 kg into an orbit as high as 250 km.

The first M-V rocket launched the HALCA radio astronomy satellite in 1997, and the second the Nozomi Mars explorer in July 1998. The third rocket attempted to launch the Astro-E X-ray satellite on 10 February 2000 but failed. ISAS recovered from this setback and launched Hayabusa to 25143 Itokawa in 2003. The following M-V launch was the scientific Astro-E2 satellite, a replacement for Astro-E, which took place on 10 July 2005. The final launch was that of the Hinode (SOLAR-B) spacecraft, along with the SSSat microsat and a nanosatellite, HIT-SAT, on 22 September 2006.

Launch outcomes

Launch history

::data[format=table] | Flight No. | Date and time, UTC | Rocket, configuration | Launch site | Payload | Payload mass | Orbit | Customer | Launch outcome | M-V-1 | M-V-3 | M-V-4 | M-V-5 | M-V-6 | M-V-8 | M-V-7 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 12 February 1997 04:50:00 | M-V | Uchinoura M-V | MUSES-B (HALCA) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 July 1998 18:12:00 | M-V | Uchinoura M-V | PLANET-B (Nozomi) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10 February 2000 01:30:00 | M-V | Uchinoura M-V | ASTRO-E | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Failure of 1st stage engine nozzle caused control system breakdown and under performance. Later stages could not compensate for under performance leaving payload in 250 mi x 50 mi orbit and subsequent reentry. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 9 May 2003 04:29:25 | M-V | Uchinoura M-V | MUSES-C (Hayabusa) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10 July 2005 03:30:00 | M-V | Uchinoura M-V | ASTRO-E2 (Suzaku) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 21 February 2006 21:28:00 | M-V | Uchinoura M-V | ASTRO-F (Akari) CUTE-1.7 + APD SSP (solar sail sub payload) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SSP failed to open completely | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 22 September 2006 21:36 | M-V | Uchinoura M-V | SOLAR-B (Hinode) HIT-SAT SSSat (solar sail) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SSSat failed after launch | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/M-V_with_Astro-E_satellite.jpg" caption="M-V rocket with the [[ASTRO-E]] satellite."] ::

Following program

Main article: Epsilon (rocket)

A follow on to the M-V, called the Epsilon Rocket, features a lower 1.2 tonne LEO payload capability. The development aim is to reduce costs, primarily by using the H-IIA solid rocket booster as the first stage and through shorter launch preparation time. Epsilon launches are intended to cost much less than the US$70 million launch cost of a M-V.

The first launch, of a small scientific satellite SPRINT-A (Hisaki), took place in September 2013. The initial launches will be of a two-stage version, of Epsilon, with up to a 500 kilogram LEO payload capability.

Potential as an intercontinental ballistic missile

Solid fuel rockets are the design of choice for military applications as they can remain in storage for long periods, and then reliably launch at short notice.

Lawmakers made national security arguments for keeping Japan's solid-fuel rocket technology alive after ISAS was merged into JAXA, which also has the H-IIA liquid-fuelled rocket, in 2003. The ISAS director of external affairs, Yasunori Matogawa, said, "It seems the hard-line national security proponents in parliament are increasing their influence, and they aren't getting much criticism... I think we’re moving into a very dangerous period. When you consider the current environment and the threat from North Korea, it's scary".

Toshiyuki Shikata, a Tokyo Metropolitan Government adviser and former lieutenant general, claimed that part of the rationale for the fifth M-V Hayabusa mission was that the reentry and landing of its return capsule demonstrated "that Japan's ballistic missile capability is credible".

At a technical level the M-V design could be weaponised quickly (as an Intercontinental ballistic missile, since only payload and guidance have to be changed) although this would be politically unlikely. The M-V is comparable in performance to the LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM.

Comparable solid fuel rockets

Main article: Comparison of solid-fuelled orbital launch systems

References

Travis S. Taylor. (2009). "Introduction to Rocket Science and Engineering". CRC Press.
"Projects&Products". IHI AEROSPACE.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency {{!}} JAXA. "HALCA > Launch Vehicle". Institute of Space and Astronautical Science.
"History ｜ ISAS".
"1 How did M-V-4 fly?".
Ray, Justin. (February 10, 2000). "Spaceflight Now {{!}} Breaking News {{!}} Astro-E believed lost following botched launch".
"Epsilon launch vehicle". JAXA.
(11 August 2010). "Asteroid probe, rocket get nod from Japanese panel". Spaceflight Now.
"Interview: Yasuhiro Morita, Project Manager, Epsilon Launch Vehicle". JAXA.
Karl Schoenberger. (July 11, 2003). "Japan ponders nuclear weapons". Detroit Free Press.
Chester Dawson. (28 October 2011). "In Japan, Provocative Case for Staying Nuclear". Wall Street Journal.
William E. Rapp. (January 2004). "Paths Diverging? The Next Decade in the US-Japan Security Alliance". Strategic Studies Institute, [[U.S. Army War College]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::