A Japanese startup’s second attempt to launch its solid-fuel rocket ended in chaos, with Kairos spiraling down just minutes after liftoff. The launch failure marks another setback for Japan’s private space industry after a series of explosive rocket attempts earlier this year.
Japanese company Space One launched its Kairos rocket on Wednesday from the company’s Spaceport Kii launch pad in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. At first the rocket seemed to fly normally, but things quickly began to fall apart. Approximately two minutes after takeoff, Kairos appeared to lose control of his attitude and began to fall downward. The rocket self-destructed after detecting anomalies in the control of the first stage engine nozzle and the rocket’s trajectory, Space One director Mamoru Endo told reporters during a post-launch briefing, according to Reuters.
Kairos was carrying 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 place satellites into Earth orbit (the Japanese space agency, JAXA, has accomplished this feat many times, working with companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries). The startup first attempted to launch Kairos in March, but the launch vehicle exploded just seconds after clearing the tower in Wakayama Prefecture. The rocket’s autonomous self-destruct system was activated due to abnormal flight settings about five seconds after launch. Kairos carried an experimental satellite for the Japanese government.
He three-stage Kairos rocketEquipped with solid-fuel engines and a liquid-fuel post-boost stage, it is designed to deliver payloads of up to 550 pounds (250 kilograms) to low-Earth orbit. With its 18-meter (59-foot) tall rocket, Space One hopes to compete with companies like SpaceX and Rocket Lab by delivering satellites to space quickly and affordably. The company aims to launch 30 rockets a year by 2030, according to Kyodo News. Space One may have to wait a little longer to hit 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 launch failure, according to AFP. “We believe the data and experience gained… is extremely valuable and we believe it will be useful for the next challenge.”
JAXA also seeks to compete in the new space age. Despite some failures of its own, JAXA launched its new H3 rocket on the second attempt in February. The Japanese Epsilon S rocket, on the other hand, exploded during a test in late November.