Japan to Launch 50th and Final H2A Rocket on June 23, Continues H3 and Lunar Pursuits

Japan is set to launch its H2A rocket on June 23 from Tanegashima Space Center, carrying the GOSAT-GW satellite, which aims to enhance national capabilities to monitor greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. This launch marks a major milestone — the 50th and final flight of the dependable H2A rocket, a workhorse since 2001. The H3 next-generation rocket, which has 5 launches to date, will become its successor. H3 will be more flexible (providing variability in first stage engines, number of rocket boosters and size of fairing), more cost-effective, and more powerful (expected to launch 7,000-8,000kg to GTO in the future) than its predecessor. Japan is restricted annually to 17 launches per year, according to a 2010 agreement, has a record of 5 launches in one year and aims for at least 10 launches per year of H3 by early 2030s. Company Interstellar Technologies is constructing a private spaceport, Hokkaido Spaceport, for launch of its MOMO rockets. Through the Artemis program, Japan is developing a pressurized rover “Lunar Cruiser” and hopes to see a Japan Astronaut land on the Moon around 2028 via Artemis 4 or later missions. Recent robotic lunar missions from Japan include the mostly successful JAXA SLIM lander which survived 3 lunar nights, and the 2 attempts to touchdown on the surface by commercial enterprise ispace. (Image credits: JAXA)

MONDAY

☆ Jun 23 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 73 seven-member crew are awaiting launch of 4 crew members of Axiom 4 mission for their 2-week stay while evaluating air leak recent repair in Zvezda service module; team continues 2-hour exercise routines wearing special sensors, observing Earth with hyperspectral camera, maintaining spacesuits; student Q&A with Ayers & McClain occurring today 11:30 EDT.

☆ Jun 23 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 20 three-member crew working with cell culture experiments to observe and preserve cellular growth, differentiation and function; routine health checks include auditory tests, ultrasounds, ECG/blood pressure measurements and cardiopulmonary function checks; Tianzhou 9 cargo craft being prepared for July launch.

☾ Jun 23 — Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Moon Orbit: NASA spacecraft reaches 15 full years / enters 16th year in Moon orbit today; launched Jun 18, 2009, arrived at Moon 5 days later.

☆ Jun 23 — JAXA, Launch H2A 202 / GOSAT-GW, Yoshinobu LC LP-1, Tanegashima Space Center, Japan: Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT, also known as Ibuki) to SSO.

★ Jun 23 — United Launch Alliance, Launch Atlas V551 / Project Kuiper (KA-02), SLC41, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: 2nd launch for Kuiper satellites; planned to become a constellation of 3,276 in 98 orbital planes.

● Jun 23 — Texas A&M University, Online / College Station TX: Abstracts due for ASCE Earth & Space 2026 Conference; to be held Apr 13-16.

● Jun 23-26 — NSMMS, CRASTE, Norfolk VA: 2025 National Space & Missile Materials Symposium (NSMMS) / Commercial and Government Responsive Access to Space Technology Exchange (CRASTE).

☆ Jun 23 — Apollo Asteroid 2025 LT: Near-Earth Flyby (0.008 AU)

Planetary Defense Seeks Prevention of Events that Prompted Asteroid Day

Just 2 days ahead of Asteroid Day, acknowledged June 30 annually by the UN since 2016, the active and dynamic Los Angeles Section of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is convening Planetary Defense and Asteroid Exploration Mini-Conference 2025 on June 28. Presentations are by Investigation Lead and team member of the recent NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which changed an asteroid orbit by crashing a spacecraft into it, producer / writer of IMAX “Asteroid Hunters,” researchers of Near-Earth Object Apophis, and theorists on various methods of asteroid deflection. 3 presenters have asteroids named after them.  Speakers and audience are both in-person and online; all are invited.  June 30 marks the 1908 Tunguska Meteor explosion and was initiated after the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor air burst. Tunguska is postulated to have been a 6,000,000,000kg iron asteroid that exploded and shed half its weight over Siberia at altitude of 10-15km, traveling 72,000kph, heating to ~25,000°C, flattening ~80 million trees in an area of 2,150km2, an area larger than London, UK, where seismic recorders noted the event, before continuing into solar orbit. Chelyabinsk was a smaller event but encouraged international collaboration for planetary defense against such objects coming from Space toward Earth. (Image Credits: AIAA; Pictured have eponymous asteroids, L-R: Andy Rivkin, Marina Brozovic, Brent Barbee)