The Epsilon-5 rocket carrying nine satellites lifts off from Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on Nov. 9, 2021. (Kyodo)

       KAGOSHIMA, Japan (Kyodo) -- Japan launched a small, low-cost Epsilon rocket carrying nine satellites on Tuesday, the country's space agency said, in the latest attempt to promote involvement by educational institutions and companies in space development.

       The Epsilon-5 rocket lifted off from Uchinoura Space Center in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima at around 10 a.m., the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said. Initially planned for October, the launch was postponed three times due to technical and other reasons.

       The rocket, which measures 2.6 meters in diameter and 26 meters in length and weighs 96 tons, carried nine satellites, the most for a mission using an Epsilon.

       A small satellite aboard was jointly developed by 10 national institutes of technology.

       JAXA last launched an Epsilon in January 2019, sending seven satellites into space.

       The Epsilon series uses solid fuel, which takes less time to load on rockets than liquid propellant. Its artificial intelligence technology is designed to cut labor and launch costs, according to JAXA.

       Development costs for the Epsilon-5 totaled 5.8 billion yen ($51 million).

       Font Size S M L Print Timeline 0