Japan unveils new space rocket

NAGOYA, Japan -- Japan's space agency unveiled its biggest rocket on Friday ahead of a planned January test launch.

The new $64 million H-2A rocket, a huge eight-engine craft, stands at 188 feet (57 meters) -- slighter taller than a simplified version launched successfully in August.

The rocket carries a lot of expectation as Japan seeks to repair its bruised ambition to become a world leader in the aerospace industry.

The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) hopes that the January 31 test launch will prove that the August test was no fluke.

"The success of the first launch builds a little confidence, but that is not enough," the Associated Press quoted Yoichi Fujita, NASDA spokesman.

"Launching a rocket is very risky."

Commercial use

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If the testing proves successful, the H-2A will be used commercially to launch satellites.

The H-2, an earlier series of rockets, was scrapped after a series of failures.

One rocket failed to get its payload into orbit and another had to be exploded by remote control so it wouldn't veer out of control.

Scientists and technicians at the Mitsubishi factory in the city of Nagoya, where the new black-and-orange rocket was laid out in a stadium-sized hangar, were on guard for last minute glitches.

"From now until launch, we'll be double checking everything," said rocket scientist Atsushi Matsui, the Associated Press reported.

Next month's test is a make-or-break launch for the rocket.

It will be the second and final test flight before Japan embarks on 11 "operational" flights scheduled through 2005.

Competing with U.S., Europe

The first test launch came August 28, when Japan watched in relief as a simplified version of the H-2A blasted off into a clear blue sky.

If January's H-2A launch is a similar success, it will move Japan closer to competing with the United States and Europe in the satellite launching business.

It will also bolster confidence in a space program battered by bureaucratic wrangling, cost overruns and technical breakdowns.

The H-2 can lift cargo of up to 4.5 tons, in line with Europe's Ariane rockets and the Delta rockets of the United States.

The rocket will be test launched from NASDA's southern base, 443 miles (712 km) from Nagoya. It will be moved there by ship.