Launch index
To Be Determined

H3-24 | DESTINY+ & RAMSES

April 20, 2028 at 12:00 AM UTC

Tanegashima Space Center, Japan

H3-24 | DESTINY+ & RAMSES launch image
Mission imagery · H3-24

Launch details

LAUNCH TIME UNCONFIRMED

T−00d00h00m00s

April 20, 2028 at 12:00 AM UTC

Status: To Be Determined · Live feed refreshes every 30 seconds

Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2

Tanegashima Space Center, Japan · 30.4009, 130.9756

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Rocket
H3-24
Launch site
Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2

Tanegashima Space Center, Japan

Launch probability
Not published
Window opens
April 20, 2028 at 12:00 AM UTC
Window closes
April 20, 2028 at 12:00 AM UTC
Feed updated
May 14, 2026 at 6:42 PM UTC

Mission description

DESTINY+ (Demonstration and Experiment of Space Technology for INterplanetary voYage with Phaethon fLyby and dUst Science) is a planned asteroid exploration mission to 3200 Phaethon, the parent body of the Geminids meteor shower. It will demonstrate further improvements of low cost solar electric propulsion in deep space and innovative light-weight solar array panel technology. The spacecraft will carry 3 science instruments: * DESTINY Dust Analyzer (DDA) * Telescopic Camera for Phaethon (TCAP) * Multiband Camera for Phaethon (MCAP) RAMSES (Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety) is a European-Japanese planetary defense mission to near-Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis, led by the European Space Agency (ESA). The spacecraft will arrive around Apophis in February 2029, before the asteroid’s very close fly-by to Earth on 13 April 2029. It will conduct measurements of the asteroid's properties before and during the Earth flyby to study its response to the close encounter with the planet. The spacecraft will leverage much of the technology developed for the Hera mission. At the asteroid, RAMSES will deploy two smaller CubeSats, one carrying a dust analyser, a low-frequency radar, the other will attempt to land on Apophis and provide high-resolution images from the surface.

Vehicle

H3-24

H3 · 24

Height

63 m

Diameter

5.27 m

LEO capacity

0 kg

Successful launches

1

Launch complex

Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2

Tanegashima Space Center, Japan

The Tanegashima Space Center is the largest rocket-launch complex in Japan. It is located on the southeastern tip of Tanegashima, an island located south of Kyushu, an island and region and Japan. It was established in 1969 when the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) was formed, and is now run by JAXA. The activities that take place at TNSC include assembly, testing, launching, and tracking satellites, as well as rocket engine firing tests.

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Official links

Mission updates

Updated launcher variant.

May 14, 2026 at 6:42 PM UTC · Cosmic_Penguin

Confirmation of DESTINY+ and RAMSES to be flown on the same launch vehicle.

September 22, 2025 at 1:26 PM UTC · Cosmic_Penguin

Launch vehicle switched to H3, launch delayed to FY2028 due to delays with RTF of Epsilon rocket.

October 11, 2024 at 6:37 PM UTC · Cosmic_Penguin

Delayed to NET FY2025.

October 27, 2023 at 11:56 AM UTC · Cosmic_Penguin