Japan’s first attempt with a private rocket to test a satellite built on their soil with commercial contracts ended in fire.
The Space One rocket exploded soon after launching, with its main goal of putting a satellite into orbit.
The 18-meter Kairos rocket blasted off from the Tokyo-based company’s launch pad in the town of Wakayama, western Japan, on Wednesday. It was carrying a small government test satellite when it burst into flames seconds after lift-off.
The solid-fuelled rocket exploded, sending smoke into the remote area surrounded by mountains.
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Space One said in a statement: “The launch of the first Kairos rocket was executed, but we took a measure to abort the flight.”
They added “details are being investigated”.
Debris fell onto the slopes nearby and sprinklers burst into action dowsing flames with water.
Hundreds had gathered to watch the launch, with one witness saying: “I had high hopes for this, so I’m disappointed. I want to know what happened”.
Attempts to launch rockets into space to have them fail are common in space aircraft, especially with SpaceX, which has documented multiple successful launches before. Recently, SpaceX delivered a payload to the moon for NASA.
However, Space One’s failure will be a blow to the country’s effort to enter the satellite launch market.
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Initially, it was hoped Kairos would put the satellite into orbit 51 minutes after taking off, although, there were issues before Wednesday, as the launch was postponed five times already. Space One said shortages of parts and other problems meant they didn’t want to launch too early with Kairos, which means “the right moment” in ancient Greek.
Katsumasa Tashima, the mayor of Kushimoto, was disappointed: “I didn’t even imagine an outcome like this.
“[The town] will continue to support Space One, and we want to continue to offer our help so that the first rocket will have a successful launch”
The town is home to 15,000 residents.
It follows Japan’s successful landing of an unmanned probe on the moon recently.
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