Japan's Mu-3S-II carried the Express materials-science reentry capsule, a joint ISAS/DLR microgravity experiment, from Kagoshima. A second-stage attitude control fault sent the vehicle off course about 103 seconds into flight; the capsule reentered early and was recovered in Ghana instead of its planned site — the type's only failure in eight flights.
- Outcome
- Partial
- Orbit
- LEO
- Low Earth orbit
- Payload to orbit
- 765 kg
- Flight
- 8th
- of 8 Mu-3S-II flights