Mitsubishi Japan Prepares H3 Rocket For French Eutelsat Satellite Launch Starting 2027

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Japan has provided several H3 rocket launches starting in 2027. (photo: x @MHI_GroupJP)

JAKARTA Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has reached an agreement with French satellite company Eutelsat Group to provide several H3 rocket launches starting in 2027. This agreement marks an important milestone for the H3 rocket project worth 220 billion yen (Rp 23.8 trillion) supported by the Japanese government.

The H3 project has come to international attention after successfully making the first successful flight in February 2024, having previously failed in 2023. Eutelsat, which is the third largest satellite operator in the world by revenue, is the second international client for H3 rockets, after British telecommunications company Inmarsat.

Although MHI declined to provide further details regarding the launch costs and types of orbits that will be used by Eutelsat, they have set a target to lower the cost per launch of the H3 rocket to around 5 billion yen. In addition, the MHI also aims to increase the number of annual launches to 10 times in the coming years.

For Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japanese government, H3 rockets are a mainstay in national satellite launch missions as well as space exploration missions. With increasing global demand for rockets, especially after the presence of commercial launch operators such as SpaceX, H3 is considered a competitive product in terms of costs.

The H3 rocket is designed to fill the needs of Japan's satellite launch and space exploration mission, but is also projected to be a low-cost launch solution for growing international markets.

Satellite Launch Competition

The agreement between MHI and Eutelsat came after Eutelsat successfully joined OneWeb in 2023, which is now competing with Starlink, Elon Musk's low-orbit communications satellite unit. This competition is getting tighter in the low-orbit communications satellite sector, which plays an important role in providing internet access to the rest of the world.

Several new rocket launches also took place this year. In January, theition rocket developed by the United Launch Alliance, the result of a collaboration between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, managed to make its first flight. Meanwhile, in July, Ariane 6 which was built by ArianeGroup from Airbus and Safran for the European Space Agency also made a successful debut.

Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos' rocket company Blue Origin also plans to launch a New Glenn rocket before the end of 2024. This rocket is being developed for Amazon's Kuiper internet satellite project.

With the emergence of various major players and technological innovations in the field of satellite launches, the agreement between MHI and Eutelsat is considered a strategic step to strengthen Japan's position in the growing global market.