Although the H-IIA rocket, the Japanese flagship launch vehicle, has a 98% launch success rate, unsuitable wind conditions in the upper atmosphere forced a suspension 27 minutes before the planned liftoff. "High-altitude winds hit our constraint for a launch... which had been set to ensure no impact from debris falling outside of pre-warned areas," said MHI H-IIA launch unit chief Tatsuru Tokunaga. It will mark the 47th H-IIA Japan has launched. H-IIA, jointly developed by JAXA and MHI, has been Japan's flagship space launch vehicle, with 45 successful launches in 46 tries since 2001. However, after JAXA's new medium-lift H3 rocket failed on its debut in March, the agency postponed the launch of H-IIA No.

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Persons: MHI, Tatsuru Tokunaga, Michio Kawakami, Tokunaga, JAXA's Smart Lander, India's, SLIM, Ray, Kantaro Komiya, Rocky Swift, Kim Coghill, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, MHI, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Ray Imaging, NASA, European Space Agency, Epsilon, Thomson Locations: Tanegashima, Japan, TOKYO, Tokyo