Launching Small Satellites on the H-IIA Rocket

Over the last 40 years, the lowest cost transportation to space for small payloads has been achieved by utilizing excess capacity on large launches. Because the mass and volume used by small payloads on large vehicles are otherwise unused, often the pricing only needs to cover manifesting, integration and qualification of the socalled piggyback payload. Unfortunately this lack of economic incentive has suppressed supply – large rocket developers and operators may have little or no incentive to invest in small payload accommodations. In taking on the management of Japan's newest and largest rocket, the H-IIA, from the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has decided to aggressively pursue opportunities for comanifesting nano, micro and mini-satellites, leveraging proven capabilities developed by NASDA for small satellite launches on Japan's largest launch vehicle. This new capability, to be demonstrated on the next H-IIA launch this year, has the potential to more than double the secondary space available to small payloads worldwide, and will reduce queueing time for launching small satellites.