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The global launch market reached $14.1 billion in 2024 — up 34% since 2021.
| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Space One | PLD Space | JAXA / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Country | 🇯🇵 Japan | 🇪🇸 Spain | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Status | In Development | In Development | Retired |
| Vehicle class | Small | Small | Medium |
| Propellant | Solid | RP-1 / LOX | LH₂ / LOX (LE-7A first stage + LE-5B second stage) |
| Reusable | No | Yes | No |
| Stages | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| First flight | 2024 | 2026 | 2001 – 2025 |
| Payload to LEO | — | 1,080 kgas of [1]540 kg to SSO. First flight is a stated plan (targeted Q1 2026 as of this research; not yet confirmed flown) — treat as a target, not a fact. | 10,000 kgas of [1]202 configuration (2 SRB-A3 solid strap-ons) ↑ Best |
| Payload to GTO | — | — | 4,100 kgas of [1]202 configuration ↑ Best |
| Height | — | 35.7 mas of [1] | 53 mas of [1] ↑ Best |
| Liftoff mass | — | 69 tas of [1] | 285 tas of [1]202 configuration ↑ Best |
| Success rate | 0/3 — three consecutive failuresas of [1]2024-03-13: disintegrated shortly after liftoff. 2024-12-18: began tumbling during 1st-stage burn, flight terminated. 2026-03-04: flight termination activated ~70 seconds after liftoff. All three launches flew from Spaceport Kii, Wakayama — Japan's first private-sector spaceport. Program grounded as of this research; precise payload/height/mass specs not confirmed from a primary source. | — | 98%as of [2]49/50 successes. Only failure: F6 (Nov 2003, MTSAT-1R lost due to SRB separation anomaly). Retired after Flight 50 (GOSAT-GW, Jun 28, 2025). ↑ Best |
| Total flights | 3as of [1] | — | 50as of [2]50 flights from 2001–2025. H3 replaces it from 2024 onward. ↑ Best |
| Cost / kg LEO | — | — | — |
| Summary | A Japanese commercial solid-fuel small launcher that has failed on all three flight attempts through March 2026, putting its commercial viability in serious question. | PLD Space's orbital small launcher with a recoverable first stage (engine thrust + parachutes), developed with ESA Future Launchers Preparatory Programme support; primary launch site is the Guiana Space Centre. | Japan's flagship medium-lift rocket for 24 years, retiring after an exceptional 49/50 mission success record. Launched the SELENE lunar orbiter (2007), Akatsuki Venus probe (2010), Hayabusa2 (2014), SLIM lunar lander (2023), and the ALOS series Earth observation satellites. |
48 launch vehicles across 10 countries — active, retired, and in development — with primary-source citations from manufacturer user guides and agency press kits. Pure URL state: bookmark or share the link and the comparison reproduces exactly.