TOKYO, Oct. 7 -- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. announced Tuesday the launch of Geostationary Meteorological Satellite Himawari-8.

The launch of Himawari-8 aboard the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 25 (H-IIA F25) began at 2:16 p.m. (GMT 5:16 a.m.) on Tuesday at Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan' s southwestern Kagoshima prefecture.