The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, on October 7 morning suspended the launch of its fifth Epsilon solid-fuel rocket that is expected to carry nine small satellites, including Vietnam’s NanoDragon.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, on October 7 morning suspends the launch of its fifth Epsilon solid-fuel rocket. (Photo: VNA)

In its announcement, JAXA said the suspension was due to strong wind.

On October 1 morning, JAXA also suspended the launch of the rocket some 19 seconds before the scheduled lift-off time.

According to the agency, a glitch occurred at ground radar equipment that monitors the Epsilon-5's position and speed, located near the rocket's launching pad. It might cause a problem in tracking the rocket.

The NanoDragon, a nano-layer cubesat satellite which weighs 3.8 kilograms, was developed by the Vietnam National Space Centre (VNSC) under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.

The satellite was delivered to Japan and tested at the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima prefecture in August before being officially transferred to the JAXA for launching under the second "Innovative satellite technology demonstration" programme.

Source: VNA