1967 August 31 - Hatsunia's first satellite launch

The Negi-1 (ネギ-1) was a rocket developed by the Hatsunia AeroSpace Development Agency. Named after the vegetable also known as the “green onion” or “welsh onion”, among other names, the launch vehicle consisted of four stages with solid propellant. On 1967 August 31, it launched from the near-equatorial Negishima Space Center to put the first Hatsunese satellite into Low Earth Orbit.

HATSUNE (High Altitude Test Satellite Using Numerous Experiments) (はつね) was an experimental technology demonstration satellite. Meaning “first sound” (初音), the satellite weighed 42.0 kg and was 158 cm long. It consisted of the fourth stage of the Negi-1 and various instruments such as accelerometers, thermometers, transmitters, antennae, and a silver oxide-zinc battery.