Japan destroys rocket carrying two spy satellites

TOKYO — Japan’s space program suffered a setback Saturday when a rocket carrying two spy satellites meant to keep an eye on North Korea malfunctioned following liftoff and had to be destroyed, officials said.

The head of Japan’s space agency, JAXA, said one of the H2-A’s two rocket boosters failed to separate, making it impossible for the rocket to obtain sufficient height and speed to reach orbit. The malfunction prompted the agency to order the rocket blown up 10 minutes after liftoff.

"There was no chance of the mission being accomplished, so we destroyed the rocket," JAXA President Shuichiro Yamanouchi said at a news conference.

"It is extremely regrettable we failed this important mission," Yamanouchi said, bowing deeply. "We are very sorry."

Saturday’s launch was kept under tight security, with live film coverage of the liftoff banned because of the sensitivity of the rocket’s payload.

Tokyo put its first two spy satellites into space in March as part of a project to watch North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs. The move prompted protests from North Korea, which warned Tokyo against triggering a regional arms race.

Japanese officials say the program was prompted by North Korea’s surprise test launch of a long-range missile over Japan’s main island in 1998. The satellites are not meant as a provocation and would also be used for other missions such as monitoring natural disasters and weather patterns, they say.

Saturday’s launch failure will likely complicate Japan’s space ambitions. Technical glitches have delayed the launch of the domestically designed and built H2-A rocket three times since Sept. 10.

A team of engineers and executives has been set up to investigate the cause of the malfunction. The government had planned to put eight spy satellites into orbit through 2006.

Japan also hoped that the H2-A, meant to be a cheaper and more reliable replacement for its predecessor, the H-2, would boost the country’s commercial launch business. But it is still seen as too expensive to compete with its European, Russian and American rivals.