Kairos, a small, solid-fuel rocket made by Japan’s Space One, exploded just seconds into its inaugural launch on Wednesday as the firm tried to become the first Japanese company to put a satellite in orbit.
The setback for Space One and the rocket industry in Japan comes as the government and investors ramp up support for the sector amid a national security buildup and skyrocketing demand for commercial satellites.
The 18-metre (59 ft) rocket exploded five seconds after lifting off, leaving behind a large cloud of smoke, a fire, fragments of the rocket and sprays of firefighting water near the launch pad on the tip of mountainous Kii peninsula in western Japan, visible on local media livestreams.
“The rocket terminated the flight after judging that the achievement of its mission would be difficult,” company president Masakazu Toyoda said.
Space One did not specify what triggered self-destruction after the first-stage engine ignited – or when the company would launch the next Kairos – only pledging an investigation into the explosion.
The company said that the launch is highly automated, requiring only about a dozen ground staff, and that the rocket self-destructs when it detects errors in its flight path, speed or control system that could cause a crash that endangers people on the ground.
Kairos carried an experimental government satellite that can temporarily replace intelligence satellites in orbit if they fall offline.
Space One had planned the launch for Saturday but postponed it after a ship entered the nearby restricted sea area.
Partnering with the United States, Japan is seeking to revitalise its domestic aerospace industry to counter technological and military rivals China and Russia.
Last month, state-funded Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched its new cost-efficient flagship rocket, the H3. JAXA completed a historic “pinpoint” moon landing this year, and the H3 is scheduled to carry about 20 satellites and probes to the space by 2030.
(Input from Reuters)