Kairos No. 3 Rocket Launch Ends in Failure

Kushimoto, Wakayama Pref., March 5 (Jiji Press)–The launch of Japanese startup Space One Co.’s Kairos No. 3 small rocket carrying satellites ended in failure Thursday, following the unsuccessful launches of the No. 1 and No. 2 units in 2024. If successful, it would have been the first time for a Japanese rocket developed solely by the private sector to put a satellite into orbit. The No. 3 unit lifted off from Space One’s Spaceport Kii launch site in the town of Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, around 11:10 a.m. However, the company aborted the flight about 70 seconds after the takeoff as the autonomous flight safety system was activated during the combustion of the first-stage engine. “We apologize to everyone from the bottom of our hearts,” Space One President Masakazu Toyoda told a news conference in Kushimoto. Still, he said, “Based on the results, we will make necessary improvements and make steady progress toward the realization of space transportation services,” showing the company’s determination to achieve a successful launch of a Kairos rocket. Space One explained that there was no problem with the rocket itself or its flight path, and that there may have been a flaw in the autonomous flight safety system designed to destroy the rocket and halt the flight when an abnormality is detected. The cause will be investigated later. The rocket is believed to have fallen into waters south of Japan. No damage has been confirmed. The No. 3 rocket reached an altitude of only about 29 kilometers. It did not reach outer space as the No. 2 unit did. “I think we were surely able to accumulate know-how and experience this time as well and moved forward,” Toyoda said. The 18-meter, 23-ton No. 3 Kairos was carrying five small satellites, including those developed by students at Hiroo Gakuen Senior High School in Tokyo and the Taiwan Space Agency. In 2024, Space One failed in the launches of the Kairos No. 1 and No. 2 rockets due to the activation of their autonomous flight safety systems. Space One was established in 2018 with investments from companies including Canon Electronics Inc. and IHI Aerospace Co. It aims to commercialize the “space delivery” of small satellites. Specifically, the company hopes to launch 30 satellites a year in the 2030s. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]