VEP-5

Maiden flight of the H3-30S, the variant of Japan's H3 with three first-stage engines and no solid boosters, and the rocket's return to flight after the December 2025 failure that left the QZS-5 navigation satellite short of its orbit.

VEP-5, a 1,600 kg mass simulator, flew as the test payload. Six small satellites rode along, including STARS-X, a Shizuoka University demonstrator for a 1 km tether to collect space debris.