TOKYO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Japan launched an H-2A rocket carrying an intelligence-gathering satellite from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan on Tuesday.

The details of the launch on Tuesday were not fully disclosed by the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which carried out the launch.

Citing security reasons, information such as the altitude of the satellite release was not made public.

It was confirmed, however, that the H-2A rocket was launched at 1:20 p.m. local time from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) launch site and its payload was put into orbit around 20 minutes later, sources close to the matter said.