H-3
Michibiki No. 7 (QZS-7) Quasi-Zenith Satellite System
JAXA

Launch details

Launching company:
Vehicle:
Launch site:
Tanegashima Space Center, LA-Y1 (Japan)
Launch date:
6 August 2026 at 19:30:00 UTC (T-35 days)
Status:
Waiting for launch

Launch description

A JAXA H-3 rocket will launch the Michibiki No. 7 (QZS-7) Quasi-Zenith Satellite System mission on Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 7:30 PM (UTC).

Missions

Michibiki No. 7 (QZS-7) Quasi-Zenith Satellite System:
The QZSS is a Japanese satellite navigation system that augments the U.S. GPS in the Asia-Pacific region. QZS-7 will be launched on H3 flight no. 9 on an H3 Model 22 vehicle. QZS-7 would have completed the 7-satellite configuration of the QZSS but QZS-6 was lost in a Dec 2025 launch failure. In addition to the main payload, it carries a Situational Awareness Camera Hosted Instrument (SACHI), a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) payload developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory for the U.S. Space Force. A similar camera piggybacked on the QZS-5 satellite as well.
Data provided by rocketlaunch.live