A mid-size, solid-fuel M-5 rocket carrying the satellite lifted off from the Kagoshima Space Centre in the southern Japanese town of Uchinoura at 12:30 pm (0330 GMT), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

The satellite, code-named Astro-E2, will employ X-ray technology and is designed to "physically investigate high-energy astronomical phenomena, such as black holes and supernovae," the agency said.

The government hailed the initial success of the project.

"We are whole-heartedly pleased as X-ray astronomy is a field in which Japan leads the world," science minister Nariaki Nakayama said in a statement.

Sunday's launch marked the fifth successful blast-off of an M-5. The only failure was the February 2000 mission designed to launch Astro-E2's predecessor.

Japan hopes to put a manned station on the moon in 2025.

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