Posted: Thu, Feb 14, 2008, 6:30 AM ET (1130 GMT)
The launch of an experimental broadband communications satellite, scheduled for Friday, has been postponed because of a technical problem, Japanese officials said Wednesday. The Kizuna (also known as WINDS) satellite was scheduled to launch Friday on an H-2A rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center. However, JAXA announced Wednesday that an "incompatibility" with a thruster used for attitude control on the rocket's second stage would force a delay while the problem is corrected. No new launch date was announced. Kizuna is an experimental spacecraft designed to test high-speed data communications via satellite. The 2.7-ton spacecraft will operate from 143 degrees east in GEO.

Related Links:

•  AFP article
•  JAXA press release