TOKYO, June 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Japan's flagship H3 rocket carrying six small satellites lifted off Friday, live footage showed.

Friday's launch comes after the H3 rocket failed to launch a geolocation satellite into orbit in December due to engine failure.

"The second stage combustion, action control and trajectory are all normal," the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a live Youtube broacast, about six minutes after lift-off.

The satellites loaded onto the rocket include Tokyo University of Science's "Umitsubame" which observes the Earth and other targets with a high-performance camera, and Shizuoka University's "Shiraito" that is testing space debris capture technology, JAXA said.