Japanese Startup's Second Orbital Launch Attempt Ends in Failure as Kairos Rocket Self-Destructs

A Japanese startup’s second attempt to launch its solid-fuel rocket ended in chaos, with Kairos spiraling downwards a few minutes after lift off. The launch failure marks another setback for Japan’s private space industry after a series of explosive rocket attempts earlier this year.

Japan’s Space One launched its Kairos rocket on Wednesday from the company’s Spaceport Kii launch pad in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. The rocket appeared to be flying normally at first, but things quickly started to fall apart. About two minutes after liftoff, Kairos appeared to lose attitude control, and began tumbling its way downwards. The rocket self-destructed after detecting abnormalities in the first-stage engine nozzle control and the rocket’s trajectory, Space One director Mamoru Endo told reporters during a post-launch briefing, according to Reuters.

Kairos was carrying five small satellites from the Taiwan Space Agency, and Japanese companies Lagrapo, Space Cubics, and Terra Space, as well as a fifth customer that wished to remain anonymous.

This was Space One’s second attempt at becoming Japan’s first commercial firm to independently place satellites in Earth orbit (Japan’s space agency, JAXA, has accomplished this feat many times, working with firms like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries). The startup first attempted to launch Kairos in March, but the launch vehicle exploded mere seconds after clearing the tower in Wakayama prefecture. The rocket’s autonomous self-destruct system was set off due to anomalous flight settings about five seconds after launch. Kairos was carrying an experimental satellite for the Japanese government.

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) to low Earth orbit. With its 59-foot (18-meter) tall rocket, Space One is hoping to compete with companies like SpaceX and Rocket Lab by delivering satellites to space both rapidly and affordably. The company aims to launch 30 rockets annually by the 2030s, according to Kyodo News. Space One might have to wait a little longer to achieve that pace, which seems possible with Kairos, a rocket similar to Rocket Lab’s Electron.

“We do not regard this event as a failure,” Space One president Masakazu Toyoda told reporters after the launch failure, according to AFP. “We believe that the data and experience gained… is extremely valuable and we think they will be useful for the next challenge.”

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