(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-12-23 17:04

TOKYO - Japan's plan to introduce a midsize space rocket in the next five years is under review and could be delayed because of ballooning costs, a news report said Sunday.

The new GX rocket to launch satellites is being developed jointly by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and a group of companies including IHI Corp. The first launch is planned for 2011.

But the Yomiuri, Japan's largest daily newspaper, said the government has begun a review of the project, which is already six years behind schedule.

The project has been forced to look for an alternative rocket engine after a U.S. manufacturer ended production, the paper said, without citing where it got the information from. The change is expected to incur an additional 45 billion yen (US$397 million; euro276 million), Yomiuri said.

Moreover, the ministry has requested about 15 billion yen (US$133 million; euro92 million) for next fiscal year's budget for the GX rocket, but only a third of it will likely be allocated, Yomiuri said.

Officials of the ministry and IHI were not available for comment Sunday.

Japan aims to enter the lucrative international market for satellite launching. Its domestically produced H-2A large-size rocket, which has launched more than a dozen satellites, is one of the world's most advanced and consistent. The GX is intended to launch small and medium-sized satellites.