Japan launched the first of a new design of space rockets on Saturday, which is about half the size of the previous generation of space vehicles.
The JAXA space agency said the Epsilon rocket cost $US37 million to develop, half the cost of its predecessor.
Epsilon was launched from the Uchinoura space centre in Kimotsuki on the island of Kyushu at 2pm. Crowds of people gathered to watch the launch, which was also broadcast on the internet.
A previous launch attempt on 27 August was halted 19 seconds before countdown because of a computer glitch.
The BBC reports the rocket was carrying a new telescope that will remotely observe Venus, Mars and Jupiter from its orbit.
JAXA said the rocket successfully released the telescope as scheduled, about 1000km above the Earth's surface.
The Epsilon is also cheaper to launch than previous rockets. The BBC reports the new rocket needs only eight people at the launch site, compared with 150 people at earlier launches.
