🚀 H2A No. 50 | 🛰 GOSAT-GW

Launch date: June 24, 2025 00:00 UTC

Payload: GOSAT-GW

Location: Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan

Vehicle: H2A No. 50

Japan plans to launch the GOSAT-GW satellite, the latest in its series for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, aboard an H2A rocket (No. 50) on June 24, 2025 from Tanegashima Space Center. This satellite introduces a new capability of global survey within three days and higher spatial resolution, allowing detailed city-level air pollution and emissions tracking. GOSAT-GW can measure both CO2 and NO2— a world first— with its findings to be publicly available within two to three days, supporting international climate action and research. The mission is led by JAXA and the National Institute for Environmental Studies.

Pad 1 (Yoshinobu), Tanegashima Space Center, Japan

Pad 1, formally part of the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at Tanegashima Space Center, serves as the main site for launching Japan’s H-IIA and H3 rockets. Operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), this pad began operations in the 1990s and has supported the majority of Japan’s major orbital launches, including both scientific and commercial payloads.

Notable for its advanced facilities and scenic coastal setting, Yoshinobu Launch Complex Pad 1 has played a vital role in Japan’s space development, supporting missions such as the deployment of satellites, explorations to the Moon and Mars, and contributions to the International Space Station. The pad’s reliability and advanced infrastructure make it the cornerstone of Japan’s space launch capability.