TOKYO, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched Saturday afternoon a rocket carrying a high-speed Internet communications satellite, which will cover the general Asia-Pacific region.

    The satellite, capable of transmitting data at 1.2 gigabit per second, is designed to conduct experiments on wireless high-capacity and high-speed data communications in areas where ground Internet infrastructure is difficult to be built, the agency said.

    The launch of the satellite by a H-2A rocket from southern Japan's Tanegashima Space Center was postponed from the originally scheduled date of Feb. 15 after a glitch was found in a gas jet thruster on Feb. 12.