TOKYO: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said Monday that the launch of the 49th unit of the H-2A rocket from a Japanese space center, scheduled for the afternoon on the day, has been postponed due to unsuitable weather conditions.

The winds expected to blow over the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, around the scheduled launch time do not meet the criteria for liftoff, according to Mitsubishi Heavy, which is in charge of launching the rocket.

The launch of the rocket carrying the Japanese government’s eighth intelligence-gathering radar satellite was originally scheduled for Wednesday. It was postponed to Monday because of expected worsening weather conditions.

JIJI Press