M-5 rocket
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M-V_with_Astro-E_satellite.jpg
The M-5 Rocket, also called Mu-5 is a Japanese solid fuel rocket designed to launch scientific satellites. It is the latest of the family of the Mu rockets. The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) began developing the M-5 in 1990 at a cost of 15 billion yen. It has three stages and is 30.7 meters high, 2.5 meters in diameter, and weighs about 140 tons. It is capable of launching a satellite weighing 1.8 tons into an orbit as high as 250 km. It is among the world's largest and most advanced solid fuel rockets.
The first M-5 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 February 10, 2000 but failed.
ISAS recovered from this setback and launched Hayabusa to 25143 Itokawa in 2003.
The next M-5 launch is the scientific Astro-E2 satellite, a replacement for Astro-E, foreseen on July 6, 2005.
M-5 flights
| Date (UTC) | Flight | Payload | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.02.1997 04:50:00 | M-5-1 | Muses B (HALCA) | Success |
| 03.07.1998 18:12:00 | M-5-3 | Planet B (Nozomi) | Success |
| 10.02.2000 01:30:00 | M-5-4 | Astro E | Failure |
| 09.05.2003 04:29:25 | M-5-5 | Muses C (Hayabusa) | Success |