Family-level launch record combining canonical variants, historical missions, public cadence forecasts, and available payload performance specs.
Historical missions are grouped by actual launch year. Forecast cadence uses family-level launch-rate rows.
| Year | Historical missions | Forecast launches |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| 2027 | 0 | 2 |
| 2028 | 0 | 2 |
| 2029 | 0 | 2 |
| 2030 | 0 | 2 |
| 2031 | 0 | 2 |
| 2032 | 0 | 2 |
| 2033 | 0 | 2 |
| 2034 | 0 | 2 |
| 2035 | 0 | 2 |
| 2036 | 0 | 2 |
Payload capacity by variant and target orbit when structured capacity rows are available.
| Variant | Orbit | Capacity | Altitude | Inclination | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Epsilon S | LEO | 590 kg | Unknown | Unknown | Manual Epsilon S low-confidence small-launcher fallback. |
Latest launched missions using variants in this family.
| Mission | Variant | Launch |
|---|---|---|
| Launch 2022-F04 | Epsilon | Oct 12, 2022 |
| RAISE-2 | Epsilon 2PBS | Nov 9, 2021 |
| RAPIS | Epsilon 2PBS | Jan 18, 2019 |
| ASNARO 2 |
Canonical variants rolled up into this launch vehicle family.
| Variant | Stages | Missions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Epsilon | Not stated | 2 | Retired |
Epsilon 2 | Not stated | 1 | Retired |
Epsilon 2PBS | Not stated | 3 | Retired |
Epsilon S | Not stated | 0 | Development |
| 2037 | 0 | 2 |
| 2038 | 0 | 2 |
| 2039 | 0 | 2 |
| 2040 | 0 | 2 |
| 2041 | 0 | 2 |
1 launch location represented.
| Year | Location | Launches | Confidence | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2027 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2028 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2029 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2030 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2031 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2032 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2033 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2034 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2035 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2036 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2037 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2038 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2039 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2040 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. |
| 2041 | Uchinoura Space Center | M-V Launch Complex | 2 | 20% | Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback. Site-year coverage backfill copied nearest prior site-rate row. |
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
Epsilon 2PBS |
| Jan 17, 2018 |
| ERG | Epsilon 2 | Dec 20, 2016 |
| SPRINT-A | Epsilon | Sep 14, 2013 |
Upcoming mission rows with announced launch timing.
| Mission | Variant | Announced |
|---|---|---|
No forecasted missionsNo upcoming announced mission rows are linked to this vehicle family. | ||
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
Editable low-confidence Epsilon family annual throughput fallback.
The 2024-11-25 Epsilon S static-fire motor explosion occurred 49 seconds into a planned two-minute burn.
An engine being developed for use in JAXA’s Epsilon S small rocket exploded during a combustion test at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on 2024-11-26.
iQPS lost the QPS-SAR-3 and QPS-SAR-4 satellites when a Japanese Epsilon rocket failed to reach orbit during an October 2022 launch.
A Japanese Epsilon small launch vehicle failed to reach orbit during an 2022-10-11 launch.
The Epsilon rocket lifted off on schedule at 8:50 p.m. Eastern from Japan’s Uchinoura Space Center on 2022-10-11.
The four previous Epsilon launches occurred in September 2013, December 2016, January 2018, and January 2019 and were all successful.
Epsilon 5’s launch was initially scheduled for 2021-10-01 but was canceled about a minute before the scheduled liftoff due to a glitch in ground radar equipment.
Epsilon 5’s launch was postponed again on 2021-10-07 because of unfavorable weather conditions.
The 26-meter Epsilon 5 rocket launched from the Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 7:55 p.m. Eastern time (9:55 a.m. local time).
NanoDragon was developed by the Vietnam National Space Center and was one of the nine satellites on Epsilon 5.
The largest secondary payload on Epsilon 5 was the Debris Removal Unprecedented Micro Satellite (DRUMS), a 62-kilogram spacecraft built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries to test techniques for capturing pieces of space debris.
JAXA scheduled the launch of the fifth Epsilon Launch Vehicle (Epsilon-5) carrying the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-2 at 9:51:21 on 2021-10-01 JST from the Uchinoura Space Center.
The planned Epsilon-5 launch on 2021-10-01 was cancelled.
Epsilon has launched four times, most recently in January 2019.
IHI Aerospace expects to offer Epsilon-based launch services beginning in 2023.
IHI Aerospace estimates a dedicated Epsilon S launch will cost $25,000,000 to $30,000,000 to reserve the entire vehicle.
RAPIS-1 launched on an Epsilon rocket on 2019-01-18.
The Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-2 satellite is scheduled to launch on a Japanese Epsilon rocket by the end of March 2022.