Satellite rocket explodes in Japan just after its launchAFP, TOKYOA rocket made by a Japanese company exploded seconds after launch yesterday in a spectacular failure for the start-up’s bid to put a satellite into orbit. Tokyo-based Space One’s 18m Kairos rocket blasted off in Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan, carrying a small government test satellite. Space One’s solid-fuel Kairos rocket explodes shortly after its launch at the Kii Spaceport in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, yesterday. The launch had already reportedly been postponed five times due to parts shortages and other problems, most recently on Saturday. Katsumasa Tashima, the mayor of Kushimoto, the district in Wakayama where Space One’s launch site Spaceport Kii is, voiced his surprise and disappointment.

Source: Taipei Times March 13, 2024 21:54 UTC