The launch of a H2A rocket carrying an information gathering satellite, scheduled for Monday, from a space center on a southwestern Japan island was postponed for a second time, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said, this time due to strong winds.
Mitsubishi Heavy said it decided to suspend the launch of rocket No. 49 from the center on Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture because of unsuitable wind conditions in the upper atmosphere. A new date has yet to be fixed.
The rocket carrying the government reconnaissance satellite was initially planned to depart Wednesday but had to be postponed due to expected bad weather.
The operation of the H2A, Japan's main liquid-fuel rocket, is expected to end in fiscal 2024 through next March, with the next-generation H3 rocket then set to replace it.