The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully test-launched Saturday a prototype of a rocket that can be reused.
The prototype rocket was launched around 10 a.m. in a streak of white smoke.
After climbing to a height of 10 meters, the craft hovered for about eight seconds before returning to the ground.
Saturday's flight, the third of its kind following tests conducted in 1999 and 2001, was to collect and verify data concerning the craft's fuel tank, the weight of which has been drastically reduced from previous tests.