Japan’s flagship H3 rocket successfully lifted off on Friday, carrying six small satellites into space, live footage showed.
The launch comes months after the same rocket failed to place a geolocation satellite into orbit in December due to an engine failure.
About six minutes after lift-off, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed that flight operations remained normal.
“The second stage combustion, attitude control and trajectory are all normal,” JAXA said during a live YouTube broadcast.
The satellites onboard include Tokyo University of Science’s “Umitsubame”, designed to observe the Earth and other targets using a high-performance camera.
Another is Shizuoka University’s “Shiraito”, which will test space debris capture technology, according to JAXA.
