Tokyo: A Space One Co. satellite-carrying rocket today exploded shortly after liftoff from a spaceport in western Japan, the first private Japanese firm.
The company’s 18-meter-long Kairos rocket failed in its launch from Space Port Kii in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan’s first commercial launch site.
It was announced shortly after that “flight termination measures” had been implemented.
Local firefighters were dispatched to the scene. Police said there have been no reports of casualties so far.
The fragments believed to be from the projectile were scattered around the area and the scene was blanketed by white smoke, Japan’s News Agency (Kyodo) reported.
The government satellite that was on the rocket is believed to have been destroyed in the blast.
The launch was initially scheduled for Saturday but was delayed after the company discovered the presence of a ship in a section of the ocean it had designated as needing to be empty for safety.
According to the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center, the satellite on board the rocket was meant to be able to perform a part of the functions of an existing government satellite in monitoring military facilities in North Korea.
Space One, established in 2018, seeks to commercialize space delivery services by lowering costs and offering rocket launches at high frequency. It aims to send into space 30 rockets a year by the 2030s.
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