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A Japanese startup’s second attempt to launch its solid rocket rocket ended in chaos when Kairos spiraled downward just minutes after liftoff. The failed launch marks another setback for Japan’s private space industry after a series of explosive rocket tests earlier this year.
Japanese company Space One launched its Kairos rocket on Wednesday from the launch pad of the Kii spaceport in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. The rocket appeared to be flying normally at first, but things quickly began to fall apart. About two minutes after takeoff, Kairos appeared to lose control of its attitude and began to plummet downwards. The rocket self-destructed after anomalies were detected in the control of the first stage engine nozzles and in the rocket’s trajectory, Space One director Mamoru Endo told reporters during a post-launch briefing Reuters.
Kairos carried five small satellites from the Taiwan Space Agency and Japanese companies Lagrapo, Space Cubics and Terra Space, as well as a fifth customer who wished to remain anonymous.
This was Space One’s second attempt to become Japan’s first commercial company to independently launch satellites into orbit (Japan’s space agency JAXA has accomplished this feat many times, working with companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries). The startup The first attempt to launch Kairos took place in Marchbut the launch vehicle exploded just seconds after passing the tower in Wakayama Prefecture. The missile’s autonomous self-destruction system was triggered about five seconds after launch due to anomalous flight settings. Kairos carried an experimental satellite for the Japanese government.
The three-stage Kairos rocketequipped with solid-fuel engines and a liquid-fuel booster stage, is designed to carry payloads of up to 550 pounds (250 kilograms) into low Earth orbit. With its 18-meter-tall rocket, Space One hopes to compete with companies like SpaceX and Rocket Lab by launching satellites quickly and cheaply. The company plans to launch 30 rockets a year by the 2030s. after to Kyodo News. Space One may have to wait a bit longer to reach that pace, which seems possible with Kairos, a rocket similar to Rocket Lab’s Electron.
“We do not consider this event a failure,” Space One President Masakazu Toyoda told reporters after the failed launch AFP. “We believe that the data and experiences gained… are extremely valuable and that they will be useful for the next challenge.”
JAXA wants to remain competitive in the new space age. Despite some of its own flaws, JAXA started It’s new H3 rocket in second attempt in February. Japan’s Epsilon-S rocket, on the other hand exploded during a test at the end of November.
