Japanese commercial rocket explodes seconds after launch
A rocket made by a Japanese private company exploded seconds into a mission to put a satellite into orbit.
State broadcaster NHK’s live coverage of the launch showed the Kairos rocket going up in flames moments after taking off yesterday.
There were no reports of injuries at Space Port Kii in Wakayama
prefecture, about 565km south-west of Tokyo, and the blaze was brought under control, the fire department in Kushimoto city said.
“I didn’t even imagine an outcome like this,” said the city’s Mayor, Katsumasa Tashima.
Space One, a start-up in Tokyo that was behind the rocket launch, said a self-destruct order was sent shortly after launch. The company did not say what prompted the order. Kairos, which in ancient Greek means “the right moment”, was carrying a government satellite, Space One said.
The launch was delayed several times, with the last postponement announced on Saturday after a ship was seen in a “risk area” near the site, Japanese media reported.
Space One was set up in 2018 with investment from major
Japanese companies including Canon Electronics, IHI and Shimizu, as well as major banks. Japan’s space programme has been led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
The Kairos rocket measured 18 metres tall, making it shorter than the space agency’s Epsilon rocket (24 metres) and H3 (63 metres), which the agency launched in February.
Space One president Masakazu
Toyoda said this month that the Kairos rocket would help the company fill a niche in the Japanese space sector by offering competitive prices and frequent missions.
Space Port Kii is the nation’s first launch complex for commercial missions.
It offers companies an alternative to the site in the south of the country used by the national space agency.