The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said an H-IIA rocket was launched early Friday carrying four satellites, including one from South Korea.

The first H-IIA rocket to carry a foreign satellite lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, at 1:39 a.m. About 16 minutes later, the Arirang 3, a multipurpose observation satellite developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, parted with the rocket at an altitude of about 680 km.

JAXA confirmed later that the Shizuku, a climate change observation satellite, was successfully released about 23 minutes later.

Both satellites, along with two smaller ones, entered orbit as planned and did not suffer any equipment malfunctions.

The South Korean satellite will collect geographical information through high-resolution images, while the Shizuku will gather data on rain, seawater temperatures and the amount of water on Earth with a microwave radiometer.

MHI hopes to use the successful launch to attract more foreign business, since launch contracts on the domestic side are essentially nonexistent except for government and agency orders, the company said.