A Japanese startup’s second orbital launch attempt ends in failure as the Kairos rocket self-destructs

A Japanese startup’s second attempt to launch its solid-fueled rocket ended in chaos, with Kairos sliding to the bottom just minutes after liftoff. The launch failure represents another setback for Japan’s private space industry after a series of explosive rocket launch attempts earlier this year.

Japan’s Space One launched its Kairos rocket on Wednesday from the company’s Spaceport Kii launch pad in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. The rocket appeared to be flying normally at first, but things soon started to go wrong. About two minutes after takeoff, Kairos appeared to lose control of his attitude and began stumbling his way down. Space One director Mamoru Endo told reporters during a post-launch press conference that the rocket self-destructed after a defect was discovered in the control of the first-stage engine nozzle and the rocket’s trajectory. Reuters.

Kairos was carrying five small satellites from the Taiwan Space Agency, Japanese companies Lagrapo, Space Cubics, and Terra Space, as well as a fifth customer who wished to remain anonymous.

This was Space One’s second attempt to become the first Japanese commercial company to autonomously place satellites into Earth orbit (the Japanese space agency, JAXA, has accomplished this feat several times, working with companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries). startup I first tried launching Kairos in MarchBut the launch vehicle exploded just seconds after clearing the tower in Wakayama Prefecture. The missile’s autonomous self-destruct system was triggered due to anomalous flight settings about five seconds after launch. Kairos was carrying an experimental satellite for the Japanese government.

the Three-stage Kairos rocketare equipped with solid-propellant engines and liquid-propellant after-stage propulsion, and are designed to deliver payloads of up to 550 pounds (250 kg) to low Earth orbit. With its 59-foot (18-meter) rocket, Space One hopes to compete with companies like SpaceX and Rocket Lab by getting satellites into space quickly and affordably. The company aims to launch 30 missiles annually by the 2030s. According to To Kyodo News. Space One may have to wait a little longer to achieve that pace, which seems possible with Kairos, a rocket similar to Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket.

“We do not consider this event a failure,” Space One President Masakazu Toyoda told reporters after the launch failure. Agence France-Presse. “We believe the data and experience gained… are very valuable and we believe they will be useful for the challenge ahead.”

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is also seeking to compete in the new space era. Despite some failures on the part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Fired new H3 rocket on the second attempt in February. On the other hand, the Japanese missile Epsilon S. It exploded during a test in late November.