A Japanese H-2A rocket deployed four satellites in orbit Thursday, putting up a research mission to track the changing role of water in Earth's climate and a South Korean payload to gather high-resolution photos for environmental monitoring and security authorities. The 187-foot-tall launcher blasted off at 1639 GMT (12:39 p.m. EDT) from the Tanegashima Space Center, a picturesque island spaceport in southern Japan. The rocket soared south from Tanegashima, its hydrogen-fueled main engine and twin solid rocket boosters rising into the sky in a ball of orange flame. The H-2A rocket's upper stage reached orbit about 15 minutes after liftoff, then deployed four satellites for Japan and South...
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