Mu and/or M designates a series of Japanese booster rockets. All rockets of the series use solid fuels and are started at the Uchinoura space center.

Early Japanese carrier rockets

In 1966 the first rocket Mu-1 was tested on a series of suborbital flights. The following rocket types of the series before M-V are commonly called Mu-3: In 1969 a suborbital launch of M-3D was conducted. In 1971 (after a launch failure in 1970) the first Japanese satellite was launched with the four-stage M-4S rocket, further starts took place until 1972. From 1974 until 1979 three satellites were successfully started with the three-stage successor M-3C. The next generation was M-3H, this rocket was in use in 1977 and 1978. The successor M-3S was used from 1980 to 1984. M-3S2 followed from 1985 to 1995.

M-V

The M-V was introduced in 1997. So far there have been 3 starts (2 of them successful) with the three-stage M-V and one start with the four-stage M-V KM. The maximum payload amounts to 1800 kg for a 30° - orbit in 200 km height and 1300 kg for a polar orbit in 200 km height for M-V and 1800 kg for a 30° - orbit in 400 km height for M-V KM (?). The total mass of an M-V is 137500 kg, the total mass of an M-V KM is 139000 kg.

External Links

• Mu series in Encyclopedia Astronautica