(Image via nbcnews.com)
Volunteer Writer: Akshit Bagga
Email: abagga@umassd.edu
Kairos, a small Japanese solid fuel rocket made by the private firm Space One, exploded into flames seconds after its launch, failing to put a satellite in orbit.
The 18-meter long four-stage solid fuel rocket lifted off land on March 13, 2024, after local time 11:01 AM (10:01 PM ET March 12, 2024). The rocket exploded only five seconds after liftoff, leaving behind a large cloud of smoke, debris, and fire. Live streams and videos of the launch showed the rocket’s remains falling near the launch site. Local firefighters were on the scene to extinguish the fire, and no casualties were reported.
The rocket was carrying an experimental government testing satellite, which was meant to temporarily replace intelligence satellites in orbit in case they went offline. It blasted off from Space One’s launch pad, Spaceport Kii, in the Wakayama region in western Japan. No immediate cause was revealed as to what may have caused the explosion.
Space One is a Tokyo-based startup established by a consortium of Japanese companies involving Canon Electronics, the aerospace agency unit of IHI, construction firm Shimizu, and the state-backed Development Bank of Japan. It aimed to be the first private firm in Japan to put a satellite in orbit.
The initial plan for Kairos was to put the satellite into orbit about 51 minutes after taking off the ground. However, a shortage of parts and delays from other problems had already led the company to postpone the launch five times. The most recent postponement was on Saturday in the previous week of the launch after a ship entered the nearby restricted sea.
The president of Space One, Masakazu Toyoda, said, “The rocket terminated the flight after judging that the achievement of its own mission would be difficult.” He added, “We don’t use the word ‘failure’ because each trial brings us new data and experience for another challenge.”
As per Space One, the launch is automated, requiring only a dozen people to oversee the process. The rocket is programmed to self-destruct if an error in the flight path, control system, or endangerment of ground staff is detected. While the company pledged to an investigation, it did not specify when it would launch the next rocket.
Kairos has three stages of solid fuel engine and one stage of liquid fuel post boost engine and can carry a payload of up to 250 kg to the Earth’s lower orbit. Space One did not disclose the cost of the launch of Kairos, but one of the company executives, Kobo Abe, has stated that it is “competitive enough” against the American rival Rocket Lab.
Although Japan is a smaller market for space services, the country’s rocket developers are working towards capturing a booming demand for space launches by building cheaper rockets.
Katsumasa Tashima, mayor of Kushimoto Wakayama, where the launch took place, voiced his feelings, saying, “I didn’t even imagine an outcome like this, but the town will continue to support Space One, and we want to continue to offer our help so that the first rocket will have a successful launch.”
Failures in the space industry are a step towards success. Last July, another Japanese rocket, the solid fuel Epsilon S, exploded within 50 seconds of ignition. However, the previous month, Japanese space agency JAXA celebrated a successful liftoff for its new flagship rocket, H3, after years of delay and two failed attempts. H3 successfully landed for an unknown probe on the moon, making Japan the fifth country to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface.