A startup known as Space One aimed to make history as Japan’s first private entity to deploy a satellite into orbit.
Its aspirations were dashed when its rocket, Kairos, met a fiery demise just seconds after liftoff at 11 AM local time. The 60-foot-long rocket took flight from Space Port Kii, situated in Wakayama, a prefecture located south of Osaka in Japan’s Kansai region.
Mamoru Endo, director of Space One, informed reporters at a press conference that the rocket’s automated system detected an anomaly a mere five seconds into the launch, prompting its self-destruct mechanism.
The company remains in the dark about the nature of this anomaly and has initiated an investigation to shed light on the incident.
Kairos carried payload intended for the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center, tasked with gathering and analyzing imagery for the Japanese government.
The satellite was slated to serve as an alternative to an existing Japanese satellite monitoring military facilities and rocket launches in North Korea. Masakazu Toyoda, president of Space One, expressed the company’s readiness to tackle the next challenge during the conference.
He also underscored the commonplace occurrence of failed launches in space exploration. Indeed, SpaceX has encountered setbacks, losing several Starship vehicles during testing over recent years due to explosions.
Backed by Canon and aerospace manufacturer IHI, Space One aims to offer satellite launch services using small rockets, which promise greater scheduling flexibility compared to larger counterparts.
The company also seeks to achieve the shortest lead time from contract engagement to launch and the most frequent launching schedule while minimizing satellite deployment costs. Given the necessity of a successful launch before attracting clientele, Space One is likely to announce its next launch attempt in the near future.
