Japan launches its largest satellite

Tokyo: Japan successfully launched one of the world's largest stationary satellites after poor weather delayed the blast-off for two days on Monday.

The 5.8-tonne, domestically developed Kiku Number 8 lifted off on board an H-2A rocket from the Tanegashima Space Centre in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima and was placed into orbit a half-hour later, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

The satellite is the largest launched by Japan so far. It is to test technology that will allow communication between a mobile communications device on earth and a stationary satellite.

The development cost of the satellite was 52.2 billion yen ($441.92 million).

The rocket was the 11th launched by Japan and completed the fifth-straight successful launch of Japan's flagship H-2A since February 2005.