The National Space Development Agency will preserve the last H-2 rocket built by Japan in a museum display showcasing the nation's rocket technology.
NASDA has built eight H-2 rockets and launched seven. The final launch was canceled after the sixth and seventh failed.
The decision to preserve the final H-2 rocket, which is fully assembled and virtually ready to launch, came after a request from the National Science Museum.
NASDA engineers are expected to take several years to prepare the rocket for display and no decision has been made on where the 50-meter-high rocket will be housed.
The rocket will be kept at the NASDA space center in Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, until the display site is decided upon. The H-2 is a three-stage rocket that can launch a 10-ton payload into a low earth orbit.
It is the first rocket built exclusively with Japanese technology.
NASDA launched the first H-2 rocket in 1994 and made five more successful launches until 1997, sending 10 satellites into space orbits. The final two launches in 1998 and 1999 failed.
NASDA has since developed an upgraded H-2 model, the H-2A, which NASDA officials say is more reliable, versatile and cheaper to launch.
The first H-2A launch was originally scheduled for this month but has been postponed to the summer.