Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) of Japan has announced an agreement to conduct multiple H3 rocket launches for the French satellite company Eutelsat Group, starting in 2027.

This development marks a significant international achievement for Japan’s H3 rocket project, which is backed by 220 billion yen ($1.55 billion) in state funding and successfully completed its inaugural flight in February after overcoming a previous failure.

Eutelsat, recognized as the third-largest satellite operator globally by revenue, will be the second international client for the H3, following Britain’s Inmarsat. While a spokesperson for MHI refrained from disclosing specific details regarding costs and the orbital parameters for Eutelsat’s satellite launches, the company has previously indicated its goal to lower the per-launch expenses to 5 billion yen and to increase the annual launch frequency to ten.

For both MHI and the Japanese government, the H3 rocket represents a key asset for Japan’s satellite and exploration initiatives, positioned as a competitively priced option amid the growing global demand for launch services, particularly with the rise of commercial operators like SpaceX.

Following its merger with OneWeb last year, Eutelsat is now in competition with SpaceX’s Starlink, led by Elon Musk, in the market for low-earth orbit communications satellites. This year has seen the introduction of several new rockets.

The Vulcan rocket, developed by the joint venture United Launch Alliance, which includes Boeing and Lockheed Martin, successfully completed its inaugural flight in January. Meanwhile, the Ariane 6, created by Airbus and Safran’s ArianeGroup for the European Space Agency, made its first flight in July.

Additionally, Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, anticipates the launch of its New Glenn rocket by the end of this year, which is being developed for Amazon’s satellite internet initiative, Kuiper.