Japan's new solid-fuel rocket has blasted off, carrying a telescope for remote observation of planets in a launch co-ordinated from a laptop computer-based command centre.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the Epsilon rocket from the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan, at 2pm (1500 AEST) on Saturday, live footage showed.
Lift-off had originally been scheduled for August 27, but the first attempt was suspended with just seconds to go after a ground control computer falsely detected a positional abnormality.
Japan hopes the rocket, launched with just two laptop computers in a pared-down command centre, will become competitive in the global space business.
The three-stage Epsilon - 24 metres long and weighing 91 tonnes - was scheduled to release the "SPRINT-A" telescope at an altitude of 1000 kilometres.
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JAXA is expected to comment whether the launch was a success after confirming the release of the telescope.
SPRINT-A is the world's first space telescope for remote observation of planets including Venus, Mars and Jupiter from its orbit around Earth, according to JAXA.
