Japan plans to launch new carrier rocket
The three-stage solid-fuel launcher is designed to lift more than 2,600 pounds to low Earth orbit.
Japan is planning to launch its new carrier rocket in summer of 2013, national space agency JAXA said. JAXA's goal is to have an inexpensive rocket to launch compact low-cost satellites into orbit.
It will replace the M-5 rocket, a similar vehicle that carried out seven successful space missions between 1997 and 2006. The three-stage solid-fuel launcher is designed to lift more than 2,600 pounds to low Earth orbit. The M-5 rocket could haul about 4,000 pounds to a similar orbit.
However, the launch of the Epsilon will cost about $48 million compared to the M-5, which carried a $70 million price tag for each launch. Epsilon designers are reusing technology from the M-5 and H-2A rockets to cut costs. The Epsilon's first stage is based on the H-2A's solid rocket booster, while the second and third stages will use solid-fueled engines from the M-5's upper stages.