spacetoday.net: Glitch scrubs launch of new Japanese rocket

Posted: Tue, Aug 27, 2013, 8:08 AM ET (1208 GMT)
Epsilon-1 rocket on pad before launch (JAXA)

The first launch of a new Japanese small launch vehicle was scrubbed Tuesday because of a technical issue in the final seconds of the countdown. The Japanese space agency JAXA said computers stopped the launch of its Epsilon-1 rocket 19 seconds before the planned liftoff at 12:45 am EDT (0445 GMT, 1:45 pm Japan time) Tuesday. In a brief statement, JAXA said an "attitude abnormality" caused the scrub, but offered no additional details, nor when the launch would be rescheduled. Epsilon-1 is a launch vehicle designed for small satellites, replacing the M-V rocket. JAXA has emphasized the use of advanced technology in the rocket designed to provide more autonomous control of the vehicle by its computers. The rocket is carrying SPRINT-A, a satellite designed to carry out spectroscopic observations of other planets from Earth orbit.