Kairos No. 3 Rocket Launch Ends in Failure

Kushimoto, Wakayama Pref., March 5 (Jiji Press)--The launch of Japanese startup Space One Co.'s Kairos No. 3 small rocket carrying satellites ended in failure Thursday, following the unsuccessful launches of the No. 1 and No. 2 units in 2024.

If successful, it would have been the first time for a Japanese rocket developed solely by the private sector to put a satellite into orbit.

The No. 3 unit lifted off from Space One's Spaceport Kii launch site in the town of Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, around 11:10 a.m. However, the company aborted the flight about 70 seconds after the takeoff as the autonomous flight safety system was activated during the combustion of the first-stage engine.

"We apologize to everyone from the bottom of our hearts," Space One President Masakazu Toyoda told a news conference in Kushimoto. Still, he said, "Based on the results, we will make necessary improvements and make steady progress toward the realization of space transportation services," showing the company's determination to achieve a successful launch of a Kairos rocket.

Space One explained that there was no problem with the rocket itself or its flight path, and that there may have been a flaw in the autonomous flight safety system designed to destroy the rocket and halt the flight when an abnormality is detected. The cause will be investigated later.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]