The Flight No. 3 H‐IIB launch vehicle carrying the H‐II Transfer Vehicle (HTV3), launched at 11:06 am on 21 July 2012 from Tanegashima Space Center, successfully injected the HTV3 into its designated orbit. Following this success, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) concluded an agreement where MHI would carry on the H‐IIB launches commencing with Flight No. 4 as a launch service business. This paper introduces the development accomplishments of the H‐IIB launch vehicles and the prospects of our launch service with the H‐IIB launch vehicle added to the lineup.
