Japan's Space One Kairos rocket explodes while trying to take satellite to orbit: Reports
A rocket touted as the first from a Japanese commercial company that would put a satellite into orbit self-destructed shortly after its launch Wednesday when the startup encountered an undisclosed problem, according to reports.
Livestream videos showed the Kairos rocket developed by Space One exploding in a plume of smoke and flames within seconds of liftoff from a launch pad in western Japan. The explosion left behind debris scattered about the ground and a forest fire that firefighters later put out, footage on public broadcaster NHK showed.
As Japan tries to enter into a growing commercial space sector, the rocket's aborted mission stalled Space One's intentions of the Kairos becoming the first from the nation's private sector to bring a satellite into orbit.
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Why did Space One's Kairos rocket explode?
The small, solid-fuel rocket was designed to self-destruct when it detects errors that could trigger a crash and put people on the ground at risk.
However, it was not immediately clear what caused Wednesday's explosion and company officials have not specified what triggered Kairos to abort the mission so early into its launch.
The 60-foot-long rocket, which weighs 23 tons, was launched from a port in the mountainous Kii peninsula in Wakayama Prefecture on Japan’s main island, according to the company’s website.
The launch attempt came about six years after Space One was established in 2018 with the backing of four Japanese investors, including Canon Electronics, IHI, Shimizu and major banks, the Associated Press reported. The company has hopes of eventually providing a commercial space transportation service for sending satellites into space, it says on its website.
Speaking to reporters at a Wednesday news conference, Space One Director Mamoru Endo declined to specify why company officials believe the rocket triggered its self-destruction after the first-stage engine ignited. An investigation into the malfunction is underway, Masakazu Toyoda, the company’s president, told reporters.
No injuries were reported near the launch pad, Shuhei Kishimoto, governor of Wakayama prefecture, told reporters, according to the New York Times.
What was the mission of the Kairos rocket?
The government-made satellite that the Kairos rocket was carrying would have gathered intel about rocket launches from its neighboring North Korea, as well as other information, according to media reports.
The satellite belongs to a branch of a Japan spy agency called the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center and would only have served as a backup if other satellites were down, the center said in a statement.
Its failure to reach orbit also represents a setback for Japan as the nation seeks to become a player in the commercial space transportation market. Commercial companies across the globe have been increasingly partnering with government space agencies on various cosmic endeavors.
Just within the past few months, Intuitive Machines in Houston became the first private company to ever land an uncrewed robotic craft on the lunar surface in a NASA-funded mission. And earlier this week, four spacefarers returned to Earth from the International Space Station as part of a partnership between the U.S. space agency and SpaceX.
However, Toyoda and other officials rejected calling the mission a failure, stressing to reporters that it will help them learn from what went wrong on future attempts.
“We are taking what happened in a positive way and remain prepared to take up the next challenge,” Toyoda told reporters.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Space One Kairos rocket explodes seconds into launch in Japan: Reports
