Japan launched a new satellite on Monday to gather information on the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, whose highest concentration is one of the causes of climate change.
The Japanese H-2A rocket, built by the industrial group Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), took off at 13:08 local time (04:08 GMT) from the base of Tanegashima, south of the country.
"The launch took place as planned," the Japanese Aerospace Agency (Jaxa) reported.