Japan: New launch attempt for a private space launcher

The company Space One, which is trying to become the first private Japanese company to put a satellite into orbit, will make a new attempt on Saturday after a first failure in March.

Space One’s Kairos rocket is scheduled to take off from the Wakayama launch pad in the west of the country on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. local time (03:00 a.m. Swiss time). Success would boost Japan’s ambition to quickly play a bigger role in the global space launch services market.

Private companies offer cheaper and more frequent space exploration opportunities than government programs, and Space One hopes to emulate Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has contracts with NASA and the Pentagon.

A rocket destroyed after technical problems

But first she must succeed in her mission. In March, the Kairos solid-fuel rocket, carrying a small government test satellite, took off for the first time. But seconds later, technical problems forced engineers to destroy the 18-meter-high rocket.

This time, the rocket will carry five satellites, including one from the Taiwan Space Agency and others designed by Japanese students and companies.

This start-up was founded in 2018 by a consortium of Japanese companies including Canon Electronics, IHI Aerospace and the Shimizu construction group, as well as the Development Bank of Japan, a state financial institution.

The objective of becoming a major player in satellite launches

Space One had already had to postpone its inaugural mission five times, having notably experienced difficulties in supplying parts due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) also aims to become a major player in satellite launches.

The Jaxa’s new generation H3 launch system also experienced setbacks before a successful takeoff in February.

Also this year, Japan landed an unmanned probe on the Moon, becoming only the fifth country to successfully land a soft landing on the lunar surface. But in early December, Jaxa announced it was delaying its launch program for its Epsilon S compact solid-fuel rocket after a recent engine test caused a major fire.

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