Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Japan's inaugural private rocket, the Kairos, faced a catastrophic failure just moments after its maiden launch on Wednesday.
The 18-meter Kairos rocket, developed by Japanese private company Space One, took off from the company's launchpad in the Wakayama region of Western Japan.
The launch, which occurred at 7:31 AM local time, was short-lived as the Kairos exploded mere seconds after liftoff, enveloping the area in smoke and flames.
Space One issued a statement acknowledging the failure, stating that the launch was executed but was aborted shortly after liftoff. The company indicated that investigations into the incident were underway.
Shuhei Kishimoto, governor of the local Wakayama government, cited a problem with the rocket's autonomous flight-termination system as the cause of the failure, although specifics were not provided.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries near the launch site, and emergency responders swiftly extinguished the resulting fire.
Established in 2018, Space One is a Tokyo-based startup backed by prominent Japanese companies, including Canon Electronics, Shimizu Construction, and the Development Bank of Japan.
The failure of rocket launches, even among established space technology companies, is not uncommon. SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has also faced setbacks in its Starship program.
Despite the setback, Space One aims to capitalize on the growing market for launching small satellites into space, boasting of providing efficient launch services with minimal lead time and cost.