Japan Successfully Launches H3 Rocket

Tokyo, June 12 (Jiji Press)--The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, successfully launched an H3 rocket on Friday morning, after an unsuccessful launch attempt last December.

The H3 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, at 9:53 a.m. and reached the planned orbit at an altitude of about 580 kilometers in about 15 minutes.

The sixth H3 rocket carried six small satellites developed by universities and other organizations. The satellites were also successfully released.

Six months after the December failure, the launch was also a test for a low-cost version without a solid rocket booster. JAXA marked an important milestone toward restoring confidence and entering the satellite launch market.

"The six months felt short yet long. We've come this far thanks to everyone's support," Makoto Arita, manager of JAXA's H3 project team, said with relief at a press conference Friday.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]