Japan’s Second Orbital Launch Attempt Ends in Failure as Kairos Rocket Self-destructs

Japan’s second launch attempt to launch a solid-state rocket ended in chaos, with Kairos spinning down minutes after liftoff. The launch failure marks another setback for Japan’s private space industry after a series of failed rocket attempts earlier this year.

Japan’s Space One launched its Kairos rocket on Wednesday from the company’s Spaceport Kii launch site in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. The rocket seemed to fly normally at first, but things quickly began to deteriorate. About two minutes after taking off, Kairos seemed to lose control of his emotions, and began to fall to the ground. The rocket self-destructed after detecting malfunctions in the nozzle control engine and the rocket’s exit, Space One director Mamoru Endo told reporters during a press conference after the launch, according to Reuters.

Kairos was responsible for five small satellites from the Taiwan Space Agency, with Japanese companies Lagrapo, Space Cubics, and Terra Space, and a fifth customer who wishes to remain anonymous.

This was Space One’s second attempt to become the first Japanese commercial company to independently place satellites in Earth orbit (Japan’s space agency, JAXA, has accomplished this many times, working with firms such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries). The company first tried to launch the Kairos in March, but the launch vehicle exploded seconds later and washed over a tower in Wakayama Prefecture. The rocket’s self-destruct system shut down due to anomalous flight settings about five seconds after launch. Kairos was in charge of the Japanese government’s research satellite.

The three-stage Kairos rocket, equipped with solid fuel engines and a liquid-fuel post-boost stage, is designed to deliver payloads of up to 550 pounds (250 kilograms) into low Earth orbit. With its 59-foot (18-meter) long rocket, Space One hopes to compete with companies like SpaceX and Rocket Lab to get satellites into space faster and more cost-effectively. The company aims to launch 30 rockets annually in the 2030s, according to Kyodo News. Space One may have to wait a while to achieve that speed, which seems possible with Kairos, Rocket Lab’s Electron-like rocket.

“We don’t consider this event a failure,” said Space One president Masakazu Toyoda when he told reporters after the launch failure, according to AFP. “We believe that the data and information obtained … is very important and we think it will be useful for the next challenge.”

JAXA also wants to compete in the new space age. Despite its other failures, JAXA launched its new H3 rocket on a second attempt in February. Japan’s Epsilon S rocket, on the other hand, exploded during a test in late November.