Japan＊s Space One launched its third Kairos rocket Thursday morning, but moments later decided it would be difficult to fulfill the unit＊s mission and terminated its flight.
The decision has put yet another dent in the firm＊s bid to be the first private Japanese company to place satellites into orbit with a domestically developed rocket. Its goal had been to place five satellites into orbit around 50 minutes after liftoff, at an altitude of approximately 500 kilometers.
※I would like to sincerely apologize to our customers who entrusted us with their satellites, as well as to everyone involved who supported the launch,§ company president Masakazu Toyoda told reporters in a news conference Thursday afternoon.
※We are deeply disappointed that we could not meet the expectations of those who were cheering for the launch.§
According to the company, although the 18-meter rocket lifted off at 11:10 a.m. from Spaceport Kii in the town of Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, it was terminated before separation, a stage the company had achieved previously. Kairos is equipped with an autonomous safety system, which was activated during this stage, causing the rocket to terminate itself.
So far, the company has received no reports of injuries or property damage resulting from falling rocket debris.
※The history of space development shows that success comes only after many challenges and repeated attempts,§ said a statement by transport minister Ryosei Akazawa issued before the news conference and read out on his behalf. ※Space holds tremendous potential not only as a new industry but also as an extremely important domain for national security.§
Akazawa also stated that the ministry would continue to support private space companies.
This is the company＊s third failure, following two failed attempts in 2024. The first Kairos rocket exploded shortly after liftoff in March of last year, and the second flight was aborted roughly three minutes after launch in December. Thursday＊s launch had also been scrubbed three times before its eventual failure.
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