Japanese space rocket explodes seconds after launch

Details of the incident are being clarified

The Space One rocket exploded shortly after launch in Japan. The first attempt with the privately owned Kairos rocket was aimed at testing the viability of the domestic commercial launch business in the Land of the Rising Sun.

The rocket, made by a Japanese company, exploded seconds after launch to launch a satellite into orbit. According to The Guardian, Tokyo’s Space One’s 18-meter Kairos rocket took off on Wednesday from the company’s launch pad in the Wakayama region in western Japan, carrying a small government test satellite on board.

Seconds later, the solid-fuel rocket exploded in flames, sending smoke billowing into the remote mountainous area, live footage showed. “The launch of the first Kairos rocket was completed, but we have taken action to abort the flight,” Space One said in a statement, adding that “details are being determined.”

Burning debris fell onto the surrounding slopes as sprinklers began spraying water. Hundreds of spectators gathered at public viewing points, including the nearby waterfront. “I had high hopes for this, so I’m disappointed. I want to know what happened,” one elderly man told public broadcaster NHK.

Failures in early attempts to launch a new rocket system are common and even expected, as exemplified by SpaceX. Space One’s failure continues to deal a blow to Japan’s efforts to tap into the potentially lucrative market for commercial satellite launches.

Kairos, an ancient Greek word meaning “the right moment,” was planned to launch the satellite into orbit about 51 minutes after takeoff, The Guardian writes. Parts shortages and other problems have reportedly led Space One to delay the launch of Kairos five times, most recently on Saturday.

The mayor of Kushimoto, the town of 15,000 people in Wakayama where the launch took place, expressed surprise and disappointment. “I never imagined such a result,” said Katsumasa Tashima. But the city “will continue to support Space One, and we want to continue to offer our assistance to ensure the first rocket is launched successfully,” he said.

Space One was founded in 2018 by a team of major Japanese technology companies, including Canon Electronics, IHI Aerospace, construction firm Shimizu and the state-owned Development Bank of Japan.

Last July, another Japanese rocket, the solid-fuel Epsilon S, exploded during a test about 50 seconds after ignition.

The current setback follows Japan’s successful landing – albeit on its own – of an unmanned probe on the Moon, making it only the fifth country to achieve a “soft landing” on the lunar surface, The Guardian notes.