new failure of the launch of a private rocket

A start-up aiming to become the first private Japanese company to put a satellite into orbit announced on Wednesday December 18 that an attempt to launch its Kairos rocket had been aborted shortly after takeoff, after a first failure last March. “Kairos was launched (…) but we interrupted the flight of the rocket after judging that the accomplishment of its mission would be difficult”Space One said in a brief statement, adding that it was seeking to establish the exact circumstances.

Television images showed the thin white rocket lifting off from the Space One launch site at the far end of the Kii Peninsula in Wakayama Prefecture (west), a mountainous and forested area. She could then be seen spiraling down into the distance after sending the self-destruct signal. No spectacular explosion was filmed by television cameras, unlike the first launch attempt last March, during which the rocket burned up in mid-flight a few seconds after takeoff.

The solid-fuel rocket carried five satellites, including one from Taiwan’s space agency and others designed by Japanese students and companies. This mission aimed to revive Japan’s ambition to play a greater role in the global space launch services market.