Japan’s first H3 rocket could not be launched as scheduled Friday due to ignition issues, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said. The new rocket was to have lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 10:37 a.m.

TOKYO - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will start developing a new high-efficiency radar system in fiscal 2018 to monitor space debris as small as about 10 centimeters, as part of its efforts to avoid collisions between debris and artificial satellites, according to sources.