Japan has launched the first in a new generation
of space rockets, hoping the design will make
missions more affordable.
The Epsilon rocket is about half the size of Japan's previous
generation of space vehicles, and uses artificial intelligence
to perform safety checks.
Japan's space agency Jaxa says the Epsilon cost $37m
(£23m) to develop, half the cost of its predecessor.
Epsilon launched from south-western Japan in the early
afternoon.
Crowds of Japanese gathered to watch the launch, which
was also broadcast on the internet.
It was carrying a telescope that is being billed by Jaxa as the
world's first space telescope that will remotely observe
planets including Venus, Mars and Jupiter from its Earth
orbit.
Jaxa said the rocket successfully released the Sprint-A
telescope as scheduled, about 1,000km (620 miles) above
the Earth's surface.
Epsilon's predecessor, the M-5, was retired in 2006
because of spiralling costs.
Jaxa said the Epsilon was not only cheaper to produce, but
also cheaper to launch than the M-5.
Because of its artificial intelligence, the new rocket needs
only eight people at the launch site, compared with 150
people for earlier launches.
Japan's other recent space innovations included sending a
talking robot to the International Space Station.

Source:
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24090322