Japan on Saturday destroyed while in flight its own H-2A rocket carrying its second pair of spy satellites, intended to monitor the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), shortly after the rocket was launch from a space center in southwestern Japan.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Tanegashima Space Center said it destroyed the rocket about 13 minutes after it lifted off at 1:33 p.m. (0533 GMT), carrying a set of two satellites -- an optical-sensor model and a radar model designed to allow any point on Earth to be monitored once a day.

The agency has not yet given the reason why it destroyed the H-2A rocket in flight.

The pair of spy satellites was designed to work together with the first set of satellites launched in March this year.

The launch of the second pair of spy satellites was originally scheduled for Sept. 10 but was later postponed three times.

(People's Daily November 29, 2003)