Japan’s Space One Kairos rocket explodes seconds after takeoff

A Kairos rocket launched by the Japanese startup Space One exploded seconds after liftoff, marking a setback for the company’s ambitions. The incident occurred in a mountainous region of central Japan Wednesday, March 13. Videos captured the rocket’s ascent before it was engulfed in flames and smoke just five seconds into the flight.

The 60-foot, 23-ton solid-fuel rocket was carrying a satellite for the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center, part of Japan’s spy agency, intended as a backup for the government’s satellites.

Mamoru Endo, a director at Space One, stated at a news conference that the rocket seemed to have self-destructed due to an automatic response to a detected abnormality. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene to extinguish a fire sparked by the falling debris from the explosion.

Japan’s national space agency has been working on developing new satellite-launching rockets to replace the current H-IIA, with the successful launch of the H3 rocket last month, following a failed attempt the previous year. Following the explosion, Canon Electronics’ stock price fell sharply, closing down 7.5 percent.

No injuries were reported in the incident. Space One had aimed to distinguish itself as the first private company to successfully place a satellite into orbit.