Photo: Bill Ingalls · Public domain (US government)
Mission
Planetary Science · Elliptical
MDS 1 (Mission Demonstration Satellite 1), renamed Tsubasa after launch, is a Japanese satellite that was launched by a H-2A-2024 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center at 02:32 UT on 4 February 2002. It was renamed Tsubasa (meaning Wings) after the successful launch.
What it put in orbit
| Object | Type | Orbit | Globe |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSUBASA (MDS-1) 2002-003A | Payload | 274 × 9611 km · 28.5° | Globe |
| DASH & VEP 3 2002-003B | Payload | 413 × 34328 km · 28.5° | Globe |
| H-2A R/B 2002-003C | Rocket body | 994 × 33751 km · 23.9° | Globe |
| H-2A DEB 2002-003D | Debris | 351 × 32999 km · 28.4° | Globe |
| H-2A DEB 2002-003E | Debris | 381 × 32522 km · 28.6° | Globe |
| H-2A DEB 2002-003F | Debris | re-entered 2026-01-03 |
COSPAR ID 2002-003. Orbits from the CelesTrak satellite catalogue (perigee × apogee, inclination).