The Japanese company Space One’s Kairos rocket exploded shortly after its launch on Wednesday, as the company was seeking to become the first Japanese company to put a satellite into orbit.
The 18-meter-long, solid-fueled, four-stage rocket exploded seconds after liftoff at 11:01 a.m. (02:01 GMT), leaving a cloud of smoke and a fire near the launch pad on the tip of the Kii Peninsula in western Japan. .
Kairos carried an experimental government satellite that could temporarily replace intelligence satellites currently in orbit if they stopped working.
There has been no indication yet about the cause of the explosion or whether there were injuries, but usually there are no people anywhere near the platform during the launch process.
Space One initially planned the launch to be on Saturday, but postponed it after a ship entered the nearby restricted maritime zone.
Although Japan is a relatively small country in the space race, its rocket developers are striving to build cheaper vehicles to meet the growing demand from its government and from global customers for launching satellites.
SpaceOne President Masakazu Toyoda said the company wants to provide “space cargo services” to domestic and international customers, with a goal of launching 20 rockets annually by the late 2020s.
Although the company has delayed Kairos’ launch date four times, it said its planned second and third flights were booked from clients, one of whom was external.
Space One did not disclose the costs of launching Kairos, but the company’s CEO, Kozo Abe, said that it was “competitive enough” with its American competitor, Rocket Lab.
Japan, in partnership with the United States, seeks to revitalize its domestic aviation industry to confront technological and military competition from China and Russia.
Last year, the government promised to provide “comprehensive” support to emerging companies in the field of space, as part of its effort to build constellations of satellites to enhance capabilities in the field of intelligence.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense said on Friday that it had concluded an agreement with Space One to increase the payload of its rockets by experimenting with fuel-efficient methane gas engines.
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2024-03-13 03:35:18
