H3-30S F6 : H3-30 Test Flight (VEP-5 & others) : Tanegashima : TBD 2026 (TBD UTC)

[Galactic Penguin SST]

During today’s Japanese government (MEXT)’s committee meeting on space development, JAXA has announced they are planning a dedicated test flight of the H3 rocket’s “-30” variant with 3 LE-9 engines on the first stage and no SRBs during Fiscal Year 2025.

The launch will target a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) with a dummy payload as the main payload, and several hitchhiking satellites planned as well. Some of the candidates include:

* PETREL (Tokyo Institute of Technology, ~50kg)
* STARS-X (Shizuoka University, ~50kg)
* VERTECS (Kyushu Institute of Technology, 6U cubesat)
* HORN L/R (BULL, Japan, 6U cubesats x 2)
* “BRO-x” (Unseen Labs, France, 8U cubesat)

Source: https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20240927-mxt_uchukai01-000038107_3.pdf

[GewoonLukas_]

Seems like there will be a press briefing about the status of this flight next week:

[Scheduled to be broadcast] 5/8 14:00~ Press briefing on the development status of the H3 rocket and the H3 rocket No. 6 (30 forms) 1-stage actual tank stage combustion test (CFT)

A press briefing on the development status of the H3 rocket and the status of preparations for the launch of the H3 Launch Vehicle No. 6 (Type 30 Test Vehicle), including an overview of the test outline of the H3 Launch Vehicle (Type 30) Tank Stage Combustion Test (CFT), will be live-streamed.



(Google Translate from Japanese)

[GewoonLukas_]

First picture of the first stage with the 3 LE-9 engines:

https://twitter.com/mageshiman1025/status/1918118772759793969

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Press conference:



A Captive Firing Test/static test fire of the first stage is planned at the pad NET May 26: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20250508/k10014800021000.html

[Bean Kenobi]

* “BRO-x” (Unseen Labs, France, 8U cubesat)

It's BRO-19.

Source : https://twitter.com/Cosmic_Penguin/status/1920402388608831916

[Galactic Penguin SST]

https://twitter.com/nvslive/status/1932342814370906566

The Captive Firing Test for the H3 rocket Type 30 test vehicle is being adjusted after the launch of the H-2A rocket F50. The date will be announced as soon as it is decided. #nvslive

[catdlr]

Four Livestream links:

H3 Rocket F6 rollout




A live broadcast of the H3 rocket before the Captive Firing Test




Live streaming to monitor the operation of the H3 rocket gripping device




Live streaming  for the H3 Rocket F6 Captive Firing Test

[catdlr]

Rollout

[catdlr]

A live broadcast of the H3 rocket before the Captive Firing Test

[catdlr]

H3 Live streaming to monitor the operation of the H3 rocket gripping device

[catdlr]

Live streaming  for the H3 Rocket F6 Captive Firing Test

[lightleviathan]

JAXA's livestream for the static fire

[lightleviathan]

Ignition and shutdown, total burn time was about 25 seconds

[catdlr]

A short clip of the Static Fire Test

@JAXA_en
 has performed what looks like a nominal Static Fire Test of their H3-30 rocket first stage, as part of the certification process for launch later this year, the 6th overall flight of the H3, and the first in the 3 LE-9 engine configuration.
📹 JAXA

https://twitter.com/ENNEPS/status/1948133984799478268

[Galactic Penguin SST]

This launch is almost certainly going to slip to NET November per the announcement today of HTV-X1 launching on H3 s/n F7 on October 21:

The launch schedule of the 6th H3 Launch Vehicle (Type 30 Test Vehicle) will be announced once confirmed.

[sdsds]

This launch is almost certainly going to slip to NET November per the announcement today of HTV-X1 launching on H3 s/n F7 on October 21:

The launch schedule of the 6th H3 Launch Vehicle (Type 30 Test Vehicle) will be announced once confirmed.

Is there clear confirmation somewhere that F6 (the 30S test flight) will launch after F7? When was the order of flights reversed?

[AndrewM]

This flight will be in either late Q4 (after HTV-X1) or early/mid Q1.

In addition, JAXA plans to launch the sixth H3 rocket without SRBs by March 2026.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/23/japan/science-health/japan-new-iss-resupply-vehicle/ [Aug. 23]

[Fuji]

In July's CFT, JAXA fund the tank repress was lower than expected.
H3-30 will be need another CFT, so launch was slipped 2026.
https://www.sankei.com/article/20250929-7E654NF2CZP7XMZOZ6M5BTXRHU/

[sdsds]

In July's CFT, JAXA fund the tank repress was lower than expected.
H3-30 will be need another CFT, so launch was slipped 2026.
https://www.sankei.com/article/20250929-7E654NF2CZP7XMZOZ6M5BTXRHU/

Google translation to English includes:

This is an issue specific to the 3-0 configuration, and will not affect the No. 7 rocket,

https://www-sankei-com.translate.goog/article/20250929-7E654NF2CZP7XMZOZ6M5BTXRHU/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

[AndrewM]

With the above news and the announcement of F8 targeting December 7th, it looks like this is slipping to 2026.

[JEF_300]

I suppose the question now is if they will try to slip the new CFT in during November, or wait until after F8 flies.

[Tywin]

When this launch?

[StraumliBlight]

When this launch?

H3 rocket development focus shifts to "30" configuration, which launches using only liquid propellant [Nov 12]

The H3-30 configuration was originally scheduled to be launched in the fall of 2025 as the H3 rocket No. 6, ahead of the recently successful No. 7 24 configuration. However, on July 24, 2025, a Captive Firing Test (CFT) was conducted using the actual rocket on the launch pad at Tanegashima Space Center (Minamitane-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture), in which the engine combustion was performed in the same environment as at launch. This revealed insufficient pressure in the first stage liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks. This led to the postponement of the launch. Another ground firing test will be conducted early in 2026, with the aim of launching within fiscal year 2026.

[GWR64]

Japan's fiscal year 2026 begins on April 1, 2026.
hmm... more waiting.