A rocket made by a Japanese company exploded seconds after launch yesterday in a spectacular failure for the start-up’s bid to put a satellite into orbit.
Tokyo-based Space One’s 18m Kairos rocket blasted off in Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan, carrying a small government test satellite.
However, about five seconds later, the solid-fuel rocket erupted in fire, sending white smoke billowing around the remote mountainous area as orange flames raged on the ground, live footage showed.
Photo: Kyodo / Reuters
Space One said that it had taken the decision to “abort the flight” and details were being investigated.
“We want to accept this outcome in a forward-looking manner and embark on our next challenge,” company president Masakazu Toyoda told reporters, adding that Space One does not use the term “failure.”
The company wishes to “contribute to the expansion of space-related services” through satellite launches by its rockets, Toyoda said.
Burning debris fell onto the surrounding slopes as sprinklers began spraying water, in dramatic scenes watched by hundreds of spectators gathered at public viewing areas including a nearby waterfront.
Space One is hoping to become Japan’s first private firm to put a satellite into orbit.
The plan had been for Kairos — an ancient Greek word meaning “the right moment” — to do so about 51 minutes after take-off yesterday morning.
The launch had already reportedly been postponed five times due to parts shortages and other problems, most recently on Saturday.
Katsumasa Tashima, the mayor of Kushimoto, the district in Wakayama where Space One’s launch site Spaceport Kii is, voiced his surprise and disappointment.
“I didn’t even imagine an outcome like this,” Tashima told reporters shortly after the explosion.
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