Space Science Now: JAXA H-IIB Launch Vehicle

Yellow in the image added to show where first and second stage mate
Image credit JAXA Fan Club

Two LE-7 first stage engines covered by red protector covering
Second stage on lower right
Inside Mitsubishi Heavvy Industry's

Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works, Tobishima factory
Image credit JAXA Fan Club

First stage on left (5.2 m diameter)
Second stage on right
Image credit JAXA Fan Club

Two first stage engines
Image credit JAXA Fan Club

H-IIB Launch Vehicle under manufacture (MHI Tobishima factory)

Engine Testing at MHI's Tashiro Test Facility

JAXA H-IIB Launch Vehicle
Image Credit : JAXA

Developed jointly by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd (MHI)
Design improvements over H-IIA Launch Vehicle for lower cost and lower risk and higher reliability
Main objective of the H-IIB is to launch the HTV to the ISS
H-IIB launch capacity with HTV 16.5 tons to 350 km-460 km orbit (Inclination:51.6 degrees)
H-IIB launch capacity with HTV 8 tons for in injecting satellites into Geostationary Transfer Orbit at 36,000km
Capable of launching two geostationary satellites (2 to 4 tons each)
Launched from Yoshinobu Launch Pad of the Tanegashima Space Center
H-IIB Test Flight (H-IIB TF) launched on September 11, 2009
H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 2 (H-IIB F2) is scheduled to be launched on January 20, 2011
H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 3 (H-IIB __) is expected to be launched later in FY2011
Solid Rocket Boosters

Height 15 m
Thrust 9,220 kN
Four Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs)
Polibutadiene composite solid propellant
movable nozzle attitude control
Guidance control equipment
Telemetry transmitter

First Stage:

Height 38 m
Thrust 2,196 kN
Two LE-7A clustered engines separately fueled with LOX and LH2 supplied by turbo pump
Each engine combusts individually and stably with gimbal attitude control
Gas emission from one engine does not interfere with the other
LH2 tank
LOX tank