Lambda 4S
Encyclopedia
The Lambda 4S or L-4S was an experimental Japan
ese expendable
carrier rocket
. It was produced by Nissan and the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
and launched five times between 1966 and 1970 with Ōsumi
technology demonstration satellites. The first four launches failed, however the fifth, launched on 11 February 1970, successfully placed Ōsumi-5, the first Japanese satellite, into orbit.
The Lambda 4S consisted of four stages, with two booster rockets augmenting the first stage. SB-310 rockets were used as boosters, with an L753 first stage. The second stage was a reduced length derivative of the L753, whilst an L500 was used as the third stage. The fourth stage was an L480S. All of the stages burned solid fuel.
The Lambda 4S could place 56 kilograms (123.5 lb) of payload into low Earth orbit
. It was launched from the Kagoshima Space Centre
. Following its retirement in 1970, a sounding rocket
derived from it, the Lambda 4SC, flew three times. The Mu replaced Lambda for orbital launches.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese expendable
Expendable launch system
An expendable launch system is a launch system that uses an expendable launch vehicle to carry a payload into space. The vehicles used in expendable launch systems are designed to be used only once , and their components are not recovered for re-use after launch...
carrier rocket
Launch vehicle
In spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into outer space. A launch system includes the launch vehicle, the launch pad and other infrastructure....
. It was produced by Nissan and the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
is a Japanese national research organization of astrophysics using rockets, astronomical satellites and interplanetary probes. It is a division of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency .- History :...
and launched five times between 1966 and 1970 with Ōsumi
Osumi (satellite)
Ōsumi is the name of the first Japanese artificial satellite put into orbit, named after the Ōsumi Province in the southern islands of Japan. It was launched on February 11, 1970 at 04:25 UTC with a Lambda 4S-5 rocket from Uchinoura Space Center by Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science,...
technology demonstration satellites. The first four launches failed, however the fifth, launched on 11 February 1970, successfully placed Ōsumi-5, the first Japanese satellite, into orbit.
The Lambda 4S consisted of four stages, with two booster rockets augmenting the first stage. SB-310 rockets were used as boosters, with an L753 first stage. The second stage was a reduced length derivative of the L753, whilst an L500 was used as the third stage. The fourth stage was an L480S. All of the stages burned solid fuel.
The Lambda 4S could place 56 kilograms (123.5 lb) of payload into low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
. It was launched from the Kagoshima Space Centre
Uchinoura Space Center
The is a space launch facility close to the Japanese town of Kimotsuki, in Kagoshima Prefecture. Before the establishment of the JAXA space agency in 2003, it was simply called the . All Japan's scientific satellites were launched from Uchinoura prior to the M-V launch vehicles being decommissioned...
. Following its retirement in 1970, a sounding rocket
Sounding rocket
A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The origin of the term comes from nautical vocabulary, where to sound is to throw a weighted line from a ship into...
derived from it, the Lambda 4SC, flew three times. The Mu replaced Lambda for orbital launches.