Ricket explosion
Japanese startup, Space One rocket explodes shortly after launch
In western Japan on Wednesday, just after liftoff, Japanese startup, Space One’s “Kairos” rocket, caught fire.
A sizable cloud of smoke and flaming debris was released by the explosion close to the launchpad as pictures of flames and towering clouds of smoke were displayed on livestream screens during the launch.
Sprinklers started spraying water as burning debris was observed falling into the nearby mountain slopes.
A spokesperson for Space One indicated that an investigation was underway into the reason for the flight’s “interrupted” status shortly after the unsuccessful launch from the rugged Kii Peninsula in western Japan.
At 11:01 a.m. (0201 GMT) on Space One’s launch pad in western Japan, Kairos was scheduled to carry an experimental government satellite that can be temporarily deployed to replace currently orbiting intelligence satellites if they go offline.
The 18-meter (59-foot) solid-fuel rocket Kairos is intended to carry a payload weighing 250 kg into low-Earth orbit.
After a ship entered the neighbouring restricted maritime region, Space One decided to postpone the launch, which was originally scheduled for Saturday.
A group of Japanese businesses, including Canon Electronics, IHI’s aerospace engineering division, Shimizu Construction, and the government-backed Development Bank of Japan, formed Tokyo-based Space One in 2018. Minority owners in the company include Mitsubishi UFJ and Mizuho, two of the largest banks in Japan.
The Tokyo start-up was vying to launch a satellite into orbit and become the first private enterprise in Japan to do so.
Japan is a relatively tiny participant in the space race, but its rocket engineers are working feverishly to produce more affordable vehicles to meet the country’s government’s and other international clients’ growing demand for satellite launches.
A second Japanese rocket engine detonated during testing in July of last year, just 50 seconds after it was ignited.
An upgraded Epsilon rocket, the solid-fuel Epsilon S was intended to replace the unsuccessful October launch attempt Epsilon.