Tokyo, Sep 16: The scheduled launch of an H2A rocket carrying an information-gathering satellite from a space centre on a southwestern Japan island was postponed on Monday for a second time, the rocket manufacturer said. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said it decided to postpone the launch of rocket No. 49 from Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, scheduled for the afternoon on the day, because of unsuitable wind conditions in the upper atmosphere, Xinhua news agency reported.
The winds expected to blow over the space centre around the scheduled launch time do not meet the criteria for liftoff, Mitsubishi Heavy said, adding that a new date has yet to be fixed. The rocket carrying the Japanese government's eighth information gathering radar satellite was initially planned to depart Wednesday but the launch was postponed to Monday due to expected bad weather, according to the manufacturer.
The operation of the H2A is expected to end in fiscal 2024 through next March with the launch of rocket No. 50. The next-generation H3 rocket is then set to replace it.
