Mitsubishi Heavy H3 vs United Launch Alliance: Heavy & medium compared

November 2026 edition · assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence

Mitsubishi Heavy H3 ranks 21 on the Space 100 with a score of 81; United Launch Alliance ranks 38 with 77. Mitsubishi Heavy H3 is ahead on technology, positioning, firepower and leverage. United Launch Alliance is ahead on deployment, commercials and progress. Level on production. Mitsubishi Heavy H3 is based in Tokyo, Japan, United Launch Alliance in Centennial, United States. Mitsubishi Heavy H3: Established. United Launch Alliance: Established. Mitsubishi Heavy H3 is named in 0 signals and United Launch Alliance in 137.

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

Scores, Space (of 10)

Deployment6
Production6
Commercials4
Progress8
Technology8
Positioning10
Firepower10
Leverage10

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

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 orbitmhi.com
  • MHI and ispace partnership for Mission 3 ULTRA H3 launch and transportation servicesmhi.com
  • H3 launch and transportation services contract for ispace Mission 3 ULTRA lunar landermhi.com

16 facts on file.

United Launch Alliance →

Centennial, Colorado, United States · Space · Launch / Heavy & medium · Established · ulalaunch.com

United Launch Alliance provides orbital launch services on Atlas V and Vulcan rockets for U.S. national-security, NASA, commercial and satellite-constellation customers.

Space 100 · rank 38 · score 77

Scores, Space (of 10)

Deployment9
Production6
Commercials8
Progress9
Technology6
Positioning8
Firepower8
Leverage8

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

United Launch Alliance (a Boeing-Lockheed JV) is targeting 18-22 launches in 2026 (versus 6 in 2025, a chronic cadence shortfall) as it ramps its NSSL-certified Vulcan alongside remaining Atlas 5 flights, with ~6 Vulcans in storage and doubled Cape processing capacity. It is structurally sold out for years on a 26-mission NSSL slate, 38 Vulcan launches for Amazon Leo (the largest commercial launch agreement), and Starliner and ViaSat-3 missions, but squeezed between SpaceX economics and Blue Origin ambitions. The current revenue figure is dated (~$1.3-1.5B class, no filing).

Latest signals

  • United Launch Alliance announced a mid-November 2026 return to flight for Vulcan.Spaceflight Now
  • United Launch Alliance scheduled Vulcan’s return to flight for mid-November 2026.Spaceflight Now
  • Estes launched a new ULA Vulcan model rocket.Space.com

137 signals name United Launch Alliance.

Facts, with sources

  • Vulcan has not flown since a February solid-booster anomaly; no return-to-flight dateSpaceNews; signals 3b49ca4b, 90f1e1bd
  • BE-4 engine problem may affect Vulcan rocketSpaceNews
  • Mark Peller named chief executiveSpaceNews

99 facts on file.

More comparisons

Questions this page answers

Mitsubishi Heavy H3 or United Launch Alliance: which is ahead in space?

Mitsubishi Heavy H3 ranks 21 on the Space 100 with a score of 81; United Launch Alliance ranks 38 with 77. Mitsubishi Heavy H3 is ahead on technology, positioning, firepower and leverage. United Launch Alliance is ahead on deployment, commercials and progress. Level on production. Mitsubishi Heavy H3 is based in Tokyo, Japan, United Launch Alliance in Centennial, United States. Mitsubishi Heavy H3: Established. United Launch Alliance: Established. Mitsubishi Heavy H3 is named in 0 signals and United Launch Alliance in 137.

How do Mitsubishi Heavy H3 and United Launch Alliance compare?

Mitsubishi Heavy H3 ranks 21 on the Space 100 with a score of 81; United Launch Alliance ranks 38 with 77. Mitsubishi Heavy H3 is ahead on technology, positioning, firepower and leverage. United Launch Alliance is ahead on deployment, commercials and progress. Level on production. Mitsubishi Heavy H3 is based in Tokyo, Japan, United Launch Alliance in Centennial, United States. Mitsubishi Heavy H3: Established. United Launch Alliance: Established. Mitsubishi Heavy H3 is named in 0 signals and United Launch Alliance in 137. Both company files carry the scores on eight measures, the facts with sources and the latest signals.

Every comparison here comes from the same files members use every day.

Members see every signal and fact behind both companies, the live ranking, the questions the signals answer and the week explained. $99 a month, 7-day trial. What Frontier Tech Intelligence is →

Subscribe · $99 a month