The Frontier Leaders · Space 100 · Mitsubishi Heavy H3

Mitsubishi Heavy H3

Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan · Space · Launch / Heavy & medium · Established · mhi.com

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries develops and operates the H3 launch vehicle and sells launch services to government and commercial customers, including ispace.

Space 100 · rank 21 · score 81 →Edition: November 2026

Positioning

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' H3 is Japan's flagship heavy launcher, jointly developed with JAXA and operated as MHI's launch-service business. It completed successful H3 launches carrying HTV-X1 on Oct-25, QZS-6 on Feb-25, the low-cost Type 30 configuration with six small satellites on Jun-26, and QZS-7 on Aug-26, while also signing a 2028 launch contract with ispace for the ULTRA lunar lander on Jul-26. The program is structurally important for Japan's sovereign launch, defense, navigation, ISS-logistics, and emerging commercial lunar ecosystem, but its cadence and commercial economics remain less proven than SpaceX's.

Facts, with sources

  • QZS-7 successfully launched into quasi-geostationary orbitDeployment · mhi.com
  • MHI and ispace partnership for Mission 3 ULTRA H3 launch and transportation servicesPartnership · mhi.com
  • H3 launch and transportation services contract for ispace Mission 3 ULTRA lunar landerContract · mhi.com
  • ispaceCustomer · ispace/MHI

16 facts on file. Members see all of them with the source link.

Scores, Space (of 10)

Deployment6
Production6
Commercials4
Progress8
Technology8
Positioning10
Firepower10
Leverage10

Traction: deployment, production, commercials, progress. Capability: technology, positioning, firepower, leverage.

Peers in Heavy & medium

1SpaceX · 1006Avio · 8710Blue Origin · 8518Landspace · 81.538United Launch Alliance · 76.543ArianeGroup / Arianespace · 76

The segment's suppliers, constraints and risers, for members.

Categories

SpaceSpace · Launch / Launch services

Questions this page answers

What does Mitsubishi Heavy H3 do?

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries develops and operates the H3 launch vehicle and sells launch services to government and commercial customers, including ispace. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' H3 is Japan's flagship heavy launcher, jointly developed with JAXA and operated as MHI's launch-service business. It completed successful H3 launches carrying HTV-X1 on Oct-25, QZS-6 on Feb-25, the low-cost Type 30 configuration with six small satellites on Jun-26, and QZS-7 on Aug-26, while also signing a 2028 launch contract with ispace for the ULTRA lunar lander on

Where does Mitsubishi Heavy H3 rank in space?

Mitsubishi Heavy H3 ranks 21 of 100 on the Space 100 (November 2026 edition) with a score of 81 out of 100, in Heavy & medium (Launch). Assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence.

Who are Mitsubishi Heavy H3's peers in Heavy & medium?

SpaceX (rank 1), Avio (rank 6), Blue Origin (rank 10), Landspace (rank 18), United Launch Alliance (rank 38), ArianeGroup / Arianespace (rank 43).

Where is Mitsubishi Heavy H3 based and when was it founded?

Mitsubishi Heavy H3 is based in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Stage: Established.

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