Glitch delays launch of Japanese high-speed Internet communications satellite Kizuna
The launch of a satellite for high-speed Internet communications on Japan’s domestically built H-2A rocket has been postponed at a yet-to-be decided date because of a glitch, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Wednesday. The launch was initially scheduled for Friday at Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. The problem concerns loading a propellant agent into the position control engine in the second phase of the rocket, they said.
The satellite “Kizuna” is designed to conduct tests on high-capacity, high-speed data communications in mountainous regions and remote islands where building Internet infrastructure on the ground is deemed difficult.
