The H-2A rocket, carrying a multi-function satellite that can monitor weather and navigate aircraft, was scheduled to lift off Thursday evening from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Kagoshima prefecture.

"We will postpone the scheduled launch to February 26 or later due to bad weather," said a spokeswoman for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

"The new launch date will be announced at a later date," she said.

The Tanegashima region will experience rain and strong winds on Thursday, but fine weather is expected for Saturday through early next week, according to the Meteorological Agency.

Japan has sent up five H-2A rockets successfully, but suffered a setback in November 2003 when it had to destroy the sixth H-2A rocket just 10 minutes after lift-off.

The failed test was the more embarrassing as it came one month after China became the third country after the United States and the former Soviet Union to launch a successful manned space flight.

The sixth H-2A rocket had been carrying two spy satellites to monitor military moves in North Korea. Japan was shocked after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over the country into the Pacific Ocean in August 1998.

In March 2003, Japan sent up its first spy satellites via the fifth H-2A rocket.

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