Space One, a startup based in Tokyo, experienced a major setback on Wednesday as its solid-fuel Kairos rocket burst into flames just seconds after liftoff, preventing it from becoming Japan’s first private firm to successfully put a satellite into orbit.
The 18-meter, 23-ton rocket, carrying a mock-up of a government spy satellite, took off from a new space facility in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. However, it exploded in midair five seconds after launch, with debris falling onto a nearby mountainous area.
Firefighters worked to extinguish the resulting fire, which was eventually put out without any injuries reported. Despite the failure, Wakayama Gov. Shuhei Kishimoto stated that the rocket’s autonomous execution of an abort command was a positive development.
Space One executives are currently investigating the cause of the explosion but remain committed to their goal of conducting 20 liftoffs per year by the end of 2029 and 30 liftoffs in the 2030s. This launch was preceded by multiple postponements due to various reasons, including delays in parts procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Space One, established in July 2018, is backed by a consortium of Japanese companies, including Canon Electronics, IHI Aerospace, and general contractor Shimizu. The company aims to introduce a “space parcel delivery” service to meet the increasing needs of international and private-sector businesses to efficiently and frequently launch small satellites into orbit.
The total number of successful satellite launches worldwide has increased by ten times in the last ten years, reaching an all-time high of 2,368 in 2022.
Among these launches, SpaceX’s Starlink constellation satellites made up 1,632, surpassing other constellation networks and government satellites.
Shinichi Nakasuka, a professor at the University of Tokyo renowned for his work on nano-satellites, encouraged engineers at Space One to remain optimistic.
“SpaceX faced failures in launching three or four times a year during their initial stages in 2006,” he mentioned during his address at the Space One press event.
