A Japanese space startup’s attempt to launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit was aborted minutes after liftoff on Wednesday. This was Tokyo-based Space One’s second attempt to launch the Kairos small rocket, nine months after the company’s first try ended in an explosion.

The Kairos No 2 rocket lifted off from a site in the mountainous prefecture of Wakayama in central Japan. The flight lasted about 10 minutes before it was terminated because “the achievement of its mission would be difficult”, Space One said.

The cause of the flight failure was not immediately known, but footage circulating on social media showed the 18-metre (59 ft) solid-propellant rocket blasting off from Spaceport Kii in western Japan at 11:00 am (local time) but soon losing stability in its trajectory as it ascended.

【速報】小型ロケット「カイロス2号機」打ち上げ失敗
上昇中にトラブル

打ち上げの失敗はことし3月の初号機に続いて2回連続で、企業が詳しい状況を調べています。
↓【詳細はこちらで】↓https://t.co/zaA5Cpf20b#nhk_video pic.twitter.com/N2z8c5aAD2

— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) December 18, 2024

As many as five small satellites, including one from the Taiwan Space Agency, were on board the rocket headed into sun-synchronous orbit roughly 500 kilometres above the Earth’s surface.

The company said it is investigating the incident and will host a press conference at 2:00 pm local time.

Space One hopes to become Japan’s first company to put a satellite into orbit in a boost to Asia’s second-largest economy’s lagging space industry. But the debut flight of its Kairos rocket in March, carrying a Japanese government satellite intended to monitor North Korea’s missile launches and other military activities, exploded five seconds after launch.

At the time, Space One said that inappropriate flight settings triggered the rocket’s autonomous self-destruct system even though no issues were found in its hardware. The company said it had fixed the cause of the debut flight failure.

Tokyo-based Space One was founded in 2018 by Canon Electronics, IHI’s aerospace unit, construction firm Shimizu and a state-backed bank, with the goal of launching 20 small rockets a year by 2029 to capture growing satellite launch demand. Japan hopes the company can pave the way for a domestic space industry that can compete with the United States and other space leaders.

Space One’s Kairos rocket is launched before it explodes after liftoff from a launch pad in Kushimoto, Wakayama prefecture, western Japan, on March 13, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

A rocket that was supposed to become Japan’s first from the private sector to put a satellite into orbit exploded shortly after takeoff on March 13, a livestreamed video showed. Online video showed the rocket called Kairos blasting off from Wakayama Prefecture, in central Japan, a mountainous area filled with trees, but exploding midair within seconds.

A huge plume of smoke engulfed the area, and flames shot up in some spots. The video then showed spurts of water trying to put out the blaze. There were no reports of injuries, and the fire has been brought under control, according to the fire department in Kushimoto city, Wakayama,

Tokyo-based start-up Space One, behind the rocket launch, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Live footage on public broadcaster NHK relayed a voice announcing to the crowd gathered to watch the take-off from a safe distance. NHK showed debris scattering from the sky, and later charred pieces strewn about on the ground. The cause of the problems was still under investigation, according to NHK.

The launch was already delayed several times, with the last postponement coming on Saturday, after a ship was spotted in a risk area, according to Japanese media reports. If it had succeeded, Space One would have been the first private company to put a rocket into orbit.

Tokyo-based Space One was set up in 2018, with investments from major Japanese companies, including Canon Electronics, IHI, Shimizu and major banks.

Japan’s main space exploration effort has been led by the government’s NASDA, which stands for The National Space Development Agency of Japan, this nation’s equivalent of NASA of the U.S. The agency is now called JAXA, or Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Wednesday’s failure is likely to work as a setback for such private sector efforts. The rocket was supposed to have sent a satellite into orbit around earth to gather various information.