Space One's first attempt to reach orbit failed when the Kairos rocket exploded shortly after takeoff on March 13.
The Kairos rocket exploded immediately after leaving the launch pad. Video: Kyodo News Plus
The Kairos rocket developed by the Japanese company Space One left the launch pad at Kii spaceport in Kushimoto, western Japan, at 9:01 a.m. on March 13 (Hanoi time). If successful, Space One will become Japan's first private rocket launch company to reach orbit. But only about 3 seconds later, the flight ended abruptly when the flight abort system was activated, causing the rocket to explode.
The event caused a lot of debris to fall onto the launch site. According to the press conference after the event, no damage occurred and no one was injured. The fires were also quickly extinguished.
"The rocket canceled the flight after realizing that completing the mission would be very difficult," said Masakazu Toyoda, president of Space One. The reason the automatic flight abort system was activated has not been specified. Experts will conduct an investigation into the cause of the failure. The plan for the next launch will depend on the results and implementation of necessary measures.
The Kairos rocket is 18 m long, consisting of 4 stages, 3 stages promoting solid fuel and the upper stage using liquid fuel. This vehicle can carry 250 kg of cargo into low Earth orbit. It is also designed with high automation in mind.
Tokyo-based Space One was founded in 2018. The company aims to conduct more than 20 launches per year before the end of the decade. Previously, a launch was scheduled for March 9 but was canceled because a ship entered a dangerous area when launching a rocket.
Failures when launching new rockets are not uncommon. SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket also failed on its first launch, but was ultimately successful. However, the failure of Kairos can be seen as a setback to Japan's larger plans to develop the space industry. Japan's space policy committee is considering a 6,7 billion USD space strategy fund, with a term of 10 years, to promote the country's autonomy, innovation and competitiveness in space.
The plan includes increasing the overall launch rate with the new H3 rocket and rockets from private companies. Interstellar Technologies, another startup in Japan, aims to perform the first orbital launch with a Zero rocket in 2025.
Thu Thao (Follow Space)
