Japan’s delayed H2A rocket carrying lunar lander to launch Thursday

The postponed liftoff of an H2A rocket carrying the Japanese space agency’s lunar lander has been set for Thursday, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said Monday.

The domestically produced rocket is planned to take off around 8:42 a.m. Thursday from Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima, the company said. The move follows a postponement due to strong winds a week earlier that was decided around 30 minutes before the planned liftoff.

As part of its payload, the rocket will carry the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency-developed SLIM lunar lande...