TOKYO, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan's space agency said Friday the new flagship H3 rocket failed to lift off as scheduled on the day due to an ignition failure.

Japan's first H3 rocket failed to launch from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima prefecture on Friday morning after the booster engines were unable to ignite, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The agency said it is investigating the launch failure.

The launch of the H3 rocket, Japan's successor to the H2A rocket, its previous mainstay launch vehicle, was initially planned for Feb. 12 but delayed to Feb. 15 owing to a glitch in the rocket's flight system, and then again pushed back to Feb. 17 due to unfavorable weather conditions.