The H3 rocket at Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on Nov. 4. Screenshot via JAXA

Japan’s H3 rocket launched a Japanese military communications satellite on Monday. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed the successful mission post-launch. 

The H3 rocket launched the Kirameki No. 3 satellite for the Japan Ministry of Defense. The mission took off from Tanegashima Space Center on Monday at 15:48 Japan Standard Time. The satellite was deployed 29 minutes and 11 seconds into the mission. 

Kirameki No. 3 is a Geostationary Orbit (GEO) X-band satellite for defense communications. 

This was the third successful flight of H3, Japan’s new flagship rocket. It was the rocket’s second mission this year after the July launch of the ALOS-4 Earth observation satellite.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which operates the H3 rocket, recently signed a launch agreement with Eutelsat Group for multiple launches starting in 2027.