The Japanese-developed H-2A rocket, carrying a 4-ton observation satellite, lifts off from the launching pad at Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima island in southern Japan, Tuesday morning, Jan. 24, 2006. (Photo: AP/CRIENGLISH.com)

TOKYO, Jan. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Japan's domestically made H-2A rocket successfully sent a land-observation satellite into orbit Tuesday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced.

    The eighth version of the H-2A rocket, carrying the Advanced Land Observing Satellite, nicknamed "Daichi," was launched at 10:33 a.m. (0133 GMT) Tuesday from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, according to JAXA.

    The satellite separated smoothly from the rocket sixteen minutes later at an altitude of about 700 kilometers, JAXA said.

    The satellite, which will orbit about 690 km above the Earth, is intended to collect topographic data to contribute to cartography and capture images of disaster-hit areas anywhere in the world as part of Japan's international cooperation.

    The launch was postponed from the original schedule of last Thursday due to a malfunction in one of the rocket's telemetry transmitters.

    According to Kyodo News, the cost for the launch of the rocket came to about 10.1 billion yen (about 80 million U.S. dollars), while the development of the satellite cost some 54.7 billion yen (about 400 million dollars).

    The seventh version of an H-2A sent a multifunctional transport satellite into orbit in February 2005. Enditem