Space One’s Kairos Rocket Explodes on First Space Launch
Kairos rocket, a compact solid-fuel rocket developed by Japan’s Space One, exploded few seconds after its first launch on Wednesday. The launch aimed to establish Space One as the first Japanese company to successfully deploy a satellite into orbit.
This setback for Space One and the broader rocket industry in Japan coincides with a surge in government and investor support for the sector.
The 18-meter (59 ft) rocket detonated just five seconds after liftoff, resulting in a substantial cloud of smoke, flames, rocket fragments, and splashes of firefighting water near the launch pad located on the mountainous tip of the Kii Peninsula in western Japan. These dramatic events were observable on local media livestreams
“The rocket terminated the flight after judging that the achievement of its mission would be difficult,” company president Masakazu Toyoda said.
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Space One refrained from detailing the specific cause behind the self-destruction that occurred after the ignition of the first-stage engine, nor did they provide a timeline for the next launch of the Kairos rocket. Instead, the company committed to conducting a thorough investigation into the explosion.
According to Space One, the launch process is highly automated, involving only approximately a dozen ground personnel.
They explained that the rocket is programmed to self-destruct upon detecting anomalies in its flight path, speed or control system that could cause a crash that endangers people on the ground.
“We don’t use the world ‘failure’, because each trial brings us … new data and experience for another challenge,” Toyoda told a news conference.
Shuhei Kishimoto, the governor of Wakayama prefecture, informed reporters that there were no reported injuries in the vicinity of the launch pad, and the fire has been successfully extinguished.
The Kairos rocket was tasked with deploying an experimental government satellite designed to serve as a temporary replacement for intelligence satellites in orbit in the event of malfunctions.
Initially scheduled for Saturday, Space One had postponed the launch due to the presence of a ship entering the nearby restricted sea area.
Reuters
