Japan’s Space One Kairos Rocket Fails Again After Launch

TOKYO — Japan’s Space One suffered another setback as its Kairos small rocket was terminated just minutes after liftoff on Wednesday, marking the second failed attempt in nine months to launch a satellite into space with a privately-developed rocket.

The rocket self-destructed about three minutes into the flight after detecting abnormalities in the engine nozzle control and trajectory, according to Space One director Mamoru Endo. Five small satellites, including one from Taiwan's Space Agency, were aboard the rocket, which was aiming for a sun-synchronous orbit 500 km above Earth.

The failure comes amid Japan’s push to establish itself as a space hub in Asia, with plans for 30 rocket launches annually and an ¥8 trillion (RM232 billion) space industry by the early 2030s. Despite this, Japanese space startups have faced ongoing challenges, including the need to rely on commercial launch providers like SpaceX and Rocket Lab.

Space One’s previous attempt in March ended with an explosion five seconds after launch, attributed to incorrect flight settings triggering the rocket’s self-destruct system. Company president Masakazu Toyoda insisted that the failure was not seen as a setback and that the data would be used to improve future missions.