Japan's First Private Small Rocket Launch... "Air Explosion Seconds After Launch"

Japan's first privately developed small rocket exploded shortly after launch on the 13th.

According to reports from NHK and Kyodo News, the Japanese space venture company Space One launched its small solid-fuel rocket "Kairos" No. 1 at around 11 a.m. on the same day from the private rocket launch site "Space Port Kii" located in Kushimoto Town, southern Wakayama Prefecture, Honshu.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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However, Kairos No. 1 exploded in midair seconds after launch. Debris fell, and flames and smoke were observed near the drop zone for some time. There have been no reports of injuries caused by the rocket explosion. Space One has not yet determined the cause of the explosion.

Space One's initial goal was to insert a satellite into Earth's orbit at an altitude of 500 km approximately 50 minutes after the launch of Kairos No. 1. According to the Cabinet Satellite Information Center of Japan, the onboard satellite is a small model weighing 100 kg. It was launched to experiment whether it could replace information-gathering satellites in emergencies, such as monitoring North Korea's missile launch facilities and disaster assessment.

Space One was established in 2018 with investments from major Japanese companies including Canon Electronics and IHI Aerospace, aiming to participate in the growing small satellite launch market. The development cost for the small satellite commissioned by the Japanese government alone reached about 1.1 billion yen (approximately 9.8 billion KRW).

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