Makoto Arita, a senior official of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), announced the postponement of the launch of a satellite on the H3 rocket due to unfavorable weather conditions predicted in Kagoshima Prefecture. The launch, which was originally planned for Sunday, had to be rescheduled for Monday as rain and thunderstorms were expected to hinder the rocket's movement to the launch site at the Tanegashima Space Center. The rocket is set to carry the Advanced Land Observation Satellite, ALOS-4, equipped with advanced technology for Earth observation, disaster response, and military activity monitoring using an infrared sensor developed by the Defense Ministry.
JAXA aims to operate both the current ALOS-2 satellite and the upcoming ALOS-4 to enhance its observation capabilities, with the latter designed to observe a wider area for various purposes. The H3 rocket, after a successful launch in February, is scheduled to have its third launch with the postponed mission, following a failed debut flight a year earlier where the rocket and its satellite payload had to be destroyed. The Japanese space agency considers a stable and commercially competitive space transport system crucial for its space program and national security, hence the development of the H3 rocket as a successor to the H-2A for more cost-effective and efficient launches. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, JAXA's main contractor, aims to take over H3 production and launches to make it commercially viable by significantly reducing launch costs compared to its predecessor, the H-2A.