CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An Atlas 2 AS rocket shot from its seaside pad Thursday night carrying into space a Japanese communications satellite.

The Boeing-built satellite, dubbed Superbird-6, is to provide business communications throughout Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Hawaii.

Space Communications Corporation's Superbird-6 Program Manager Kazuhiko Aoki said the satellite will replace an older model already in orbit. That satellite, the Superbird-A, is expected to last a few more years and Aoki said the company is looking for a way to continue using it.

The new bird will join a network of four satellites in orbit that currently provide services to 15 million households, Aoki said. Once in its proper orbit, the satellite will be renamed Superbird-A2

The new satellite will allow the company to focus additional power wherever needed within the coverage area. The company plans to use the satellite to provide business telecommunications, high definition television and high data rate transmissions.

The launch took place under an almost perfectly clear night sky aboard a 155-foot tall Atlas 2 AS rocket power by a kerosene and liquid oxygen-fueled Rocketdyne engine.

The satellite, which has a life expectancy of 13 years, is to move into its final orbit over the coming week and become operational in mid-June.

Aoki refused to disclose the cost of the mission, but said it was in line with similar launches aboard Atlas 2 AS rockets. Such missions typically cost about $250 million, including satellite, rocket, launch services and insurance.