Kairos rocket explodes during liftoff, compromising space mission.

The Kairos rocket Space One, launched by a Japanese company in the Wakayama region on Tuesday night, exploded just five seconds after liftoff, causing the mission to fail. The explosion was observed near the mountains in the area along with the smoke.

Kairos rocket explodes during launch in Japan

Space One stated that the launch was conducted, but they had to abort the flight and are currently looking into the issue. The Kairos rocket consists of three stages, two fueled by solid propellant and one by liquid propellant. The agency has not yet determined the cause of the explosion.

Space One rocket explodes during launch in southern Japan.

Failures during the testing of new rockets are a common occurrence, as evidenced by SpaceX’s experience with the Starship rocket. Space One President Masazaku Toyoda emphasized that these tests serve as valuable learning experiences to prepare for upcoming challenges.

Space One is the topic of discussion.

Space One was established in 2018 to address the needs of the small satellite industry. The Kairos rocket was designed to deliver payloads to precise orbits, making it the first orbital rocket developed solely through private funding, without assistance from the Japanese space agency JAXA.

Despite the initial setback, Space One intends to persevere with its efforts at Kairos and aims to conduct up to 20 space launches annually going forward.

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