Yoshinobu Launch Complex (abbreviated LA-Y) is a rocket launch site at the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima island in Japan.
History The Yoshinobu Launch Complex was built in the early 1990s to support launches of larger medium-lift launch vehicles, as the existing Osaki Launch Complex had been designed for small-lift launch vehicles. The Yoshinobu complex was initially developed for the H-II launch vehicle and has since supported launches of the H-IIA, H-IIB, and H3 rockets.
Facilities The complex consists of two launch pads:
LA-Y1: previously used for H-II and H-IIA launches, planned to support H3 in the future LA-Y2: used for H3 launches, previously used for H-IIB launches The site includes a vehicle assembly building (VAB), where launch vehicles delivered from manufacturing facilities are assembled, inspected, and prepared for launch. The building can accommodate the simultaneous assembly of two launch vehicles. Rockets are assembled atop a mobile launcher platform (ML), after which the payload and payload fairing are installed before rollout to the launch pad. The VAB is 81 metres (266 ft) tall, 64 metres (210 ft) wide, and 34.5 metres (113 ft) meters deep. The rocket is transported to the launch pad about twelve hours before launch. Transport from the assembly building to pad takes approximately thirty minutes. The complex also contains the Yoshinobu Block House, located approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the launch pads, next to the VAB. The launch control room is located 12 metres (39 ft) underground, where launch operations and countdown procedures are remotely monitored and controlled. The Yoshinobu Firing Test Stand is used for ground testing of first-stage rocket engines. It is currently used to test the LE-9 engine developed for the H3 launch vehicle.
See also
List of Yoshinobu Launch Complex launches
References