Japan’s space agency was trying to steer a new satellite into its planned orbit on Saturday, after two previous attempts to do so failed when the main thrusters stalled, an agency official said.
The communications satellite, which was propelled into space atop an H-2A rocket, exhausted the fuel in its main tank on Friday before reaching its geostationary orbit of 36 000 kilometres above the earth’s surface, said Isamu Matsumoto, a National Space Development Agency of Japan official.
Agency officials were attempting to use backup thrusters, normally used for minor position adjustments, to put it on course, he said.
The delay wasn’t expected to impair its mission or shorten its expected seven-year life span, he said.
The H-2A, developed by Japan, lifted off successfully on Tuesday carrying two satellites — a communications satellite to help relay transmissions between the International Space Station and earth and an experimental probe to test re-entry technology.
The rocket — the third H-2A launch since August 2001 — is the centrepiece of Japan’s space programme, which has been plagued with a recent series of glitches, cost overruns and scheduling delays. The H-2A’s successful lift off was seen as crucial to Japan’s hopes to compete in the global commercial satellite-launching business. – Sapa-AP