H-2A rolls out to launch pad

BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: May 23, 2014

Japan's H-2A rocket rolled out to Launch Pad No. 1 at Tanegashima Space Center's Yoshinobu launch complex late Friday, local time, to begin final flight preparations ahead of Saturday's liftoff with an advanced radar imaging satellite.

The 174-foot-tall rocket, fitted with two solid rocket boosters, emerged from the Vehicle Assembly Building on a mobile platform for the half-hour rollout on rails to the launch pad, where it arrived around 11:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time.

The rocket and its payload were integrated together inside the assembly building over the last few weeks.

Once on the launch pad, the rocket was connected to propellant and power supplies to begin the countdown toward liftoff at 0305 GMT Saturday (11:05 p.m. EDT Friday; 12:05 p.m. JST Saturday).

See our Mission Status Center for the latest news on the mission.

Photo credit: JAXA