Japan cancels the launch of its first Epsilon rocket

Japanese space agency JAXA has announced that it has called off Tuesday's launch of its first Epsilon rocket, media reports said.

The new rocket launch to carry a planet-observing satellite, was scheduled for 1.45 pm on Tuesday from the Uchinoura Space Centre in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Kagoshima.

It was cancelled due to a battery problem, Xinhua reported citing Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK), Japan's public broadcaster.