TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's troubled space program suffered another setback Friday when the planned launch of a satellite-bearing rocket was postponed due to mechanical problems.
The launch of Japan's flagship H2 rocket from the Tanegashima space center in southern Japan was called off at the last minute when it was discovered that an electric cable and metal fastener had detached from a weather satellite stowed at the top of the rocket, a spokesman at the National Space Development Agency, Japan's quasi-governmental space agency, said.
The cable and fastener fell and left a one-centimeter scratch on the surface of a protective cover surrounding the satellite, although the satellite itself was unharmed, the spokesman added.
``It appears that the problem was caused by two pressure hoses that were not properly connected,'' he said.
Repairs should be completed in 48 hours, making another launch attempt possible Sunday, he added.
Japan's space program has often been criticized for its high costs and frequent mishaps, attributed in part to the division of responsibility for the program among no fewer than five government ministries.
In February 1998, an H-2 failed to properly launch a satellite, wasting an estimated 60 billion yen ($550 million) or more.
Japan announced last month that it was axing the smaller of its two domestic rockets, the J-1, in a cost-cutting move.
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