Japan has indefinitely postponed the launch of the first satellite in the nation’s Quasi Zenith GPS augmentation system due to a potential problem with a critical satellite component.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a June 23 statement that it had “found a concern in the onboard reaction wheels of the [satellite] following notification from an overseas manufacturer.”
JAXA said it intends to replace the suspect parts rather than wait for the manufacturer “to clear up the potential concern … by assessing test data.”
No new date has been set for the launch, which previously was slated for Aug. 2 aboard a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-built H-2A rocket operating from the Tanegashima Space Center.