Hayabusa2 Launched By Japan

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and JAXA successfully launched the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 26 with the Asteroid Explorer Hayabusa2 onboard at 1:22:04 p.m. on December 3, 2014 JST from the Tanegashima Space Center.

The launch vehicle flew as planned, and at approximately one hour, 47 minutes and 21 seconds after liftoff, the separation of the Hayabusa2 to earth-escape trajectory was confirmed.

With a launch success rate for H-IIA/B launch vehicles at 96.7%, this launch confirms the quality and reliability of the H-IIA/B.

Following this, JAXA received signals from the Asteroid Explorer Hayabusa2 at 3:44 p.m. on December 3, 2014 (Japan Standard Time) at the NASA Goldstone Deep Space Communication Complex (in California) and confirmed that its initial sequence of operations including the solar array paddle deployment and sun acquisition control have been performed normally.

The explorer is now in a stable condition.

We will inform you of the completion of the Hayabusa2 critical operation phase in the next press release at the press release website noted above. (The critical operation phase is a period from the separation from the launch vehicle till the establishment of the stable operation in space including the deployment of the solar array paddles and verification of the attitude control system and tracking and control facility functions.)

The Asteroid Explorer Hayabusa2 is a successor to the Hayabusa,which verified various new exploration technologies and returned to Earth in June 2010. The Hayabusa2 is setting out on a journey to clarify the origin and evolution of the solar system as well as the origin of life.

http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/hayabusa2/index.html

We would like to express our profound appreciation for the cooperation and support of all related personnel and organizations that helped contribute to the successful launch of the H-IIA F26.

H-IIA Launch Vehicle No.26 Flight Sequence (Quick Estimation) http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2014/12/20141203_h2af26.html#at

URL: http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2014/12/20141203_h2af26.html