KAGOSHIMA: The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said Wednesday that it has postponed the launch of its sixth Epsilon solid-fuel rocket, which was scheduled for Friday morning.

JAXA made the decision because conditions after the launch are unlikely to be suitable for operations to track the Epsilon-6.

The Epsilon-6 rocket was expected to be launched Tuesday or later from JAXA’s Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

JAXA usually uses radio waves from positioning satellites orbiting Earth to track a rocket after its launch, but it may lose the Epsilon-6 rocket’s location in the worst case as satellite positions and other conditions are expected to be unfavorable unless the launch is postponed, according to the agency.

This is the first time in Japan for a rocket launch to be put off for such a reason, a JAXA official said, adding that it is a “rare case.”

As no problem has been found with the Epsilon-6 rocket, JAXA plans to launch it as soon as the situation improves.

The agency will need to make readjustments with related institutions if it cannot launch the rocket by the Oct. 31 end of the current launch window.

JIJI Press