JAXA’s live YouTube broadcast showed scientists clapping and hugging each other in celebration.
One of the satellites is testing technology to capture space debris.
“We took last year’s failure of the H3 rocket launch very seriously,” Yamakawa said.
“We have devoted our full efforts to thoroughly investigating the cause and devising countermeasures.”
Designed for “high flexibility, high reliability, and high cost performance”, JAXA had toasted five previous successful launches of the H3, but there have also been two failures, including the latest one in December.
Japan hopes to capitalise on the H3’s success to meet soaring global demand for satellite launches in the face of a rocket shortage.
Private companies are also racing to offer cheaper and more frequent space exploration opportunities than governments.