This is the dramatic moment a Japanese company’s rocket exploded just seconds after launch on Wednesday, marking a spectacular failure for the startup’s attempt to put a satellite into orbit.
Tokyo-based Space One’s 18-meter Kairos rocket blasted off in the coastal region of Wakayama in western Japan, carrying a small government test satellite.
But about five seconds later the solid-fuel rocket burst into flames, sending white smoke billowing through the remote mountainous area as orange flames raged on the ground, live footage showed.
Space One said it had made the decision to “abort the flight” and that the details were under investigation.
“We want to accept this outcome in a forward-looking manner and embark on our next challenge,” company chairman Masakazu Toyoda told reporters, asserting that Space One does not use the term “failure.”
The solid-fuel rocket burst into flames, sending white smoke billowing through the remote mountainous area as orange flames raged on the ground
The first launch appeared to go off without a hitch as the rocket took off
Within seconds it was high above the area and the trouble was about to begin
The company wants to “contribute to the expansion of space-related services” through successful satellite launches with its rockets in the future, he added.
Burning debris fell onto the surrounding slopes as sprinklers began spraying water, in dramatic scenes watched by hundreds of spectators gathered at public viewing areas, including a nearby waterfront.
Private companies like Space One are playing an increasingly important role in space exploration worldwide.
Last month, a Houston-based company landed America’s first spaceship on the moon in more than 50 years, and NASA is relying heavily on rockets made by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
But failures are common, and last year another Japanese start-up, ispace, tried unsuccessfully to become the first private company to land on the moon.
ispace said it had communications with its spacecraft in what it described as a “hard landing.”
The massive explosion caused a fireball after it was decided the flight would be aborted
A plume of smoke could be seen from miles away over the rocky landscape
– ‘I didn’t even imagine it’ –
Space One hopes to become Japan’s first private company to put a satellite into orbit.
The plan was for Kairos – an ancient Greek word meaning “the right moment” – to do this Wednesday morning about 51 minutes after takeoff.
The launch had reportedly been postponed five times due to parts shortages and other issues, most recently on Saturday.
The mayor of Kushimoto, the district in Wakayama where Space One’s Spaceport Kii launch site is located, expressed his surprise and disappointment.
“I didn’t even imagine such an outcome,” Katsumasa Tashima told reporters shortly after the explosion.
The area and its 15,000 residents “will continue to support Space One,” he said. “We want to continue to offer our help so that the first rocket will have a successful launch.”
After the explosion, smoke could be seen from miles away
Space One was founded in 2018 by a team of major Japanese technology companies, including Canon Electronics, IHI Aerospace, construction company Shimizu and the government-run Development Bank of Japan.
The failure led to a sell-off in their shares, with Canon Electronics ending the day down 7.45 percent.
Last July, another Japanese rocket engine, the solid-fuel Epsilon S, exploded during a test about 50 seconds after ignition.
That was one of several failures for the US space agency JAXA, including launch attempts for the next-generation H3 rocket.
JAXA finally managed to successfully launch the H3 last month, its new flagship rocket that is being touted as a rival to SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
That followed Japan’s successful landing of an unmanned probe on the moon in January – albeit at a shaky angle – making it only the fifth country to achieve a ‘soft landing’ on the lunar surface.