Japan’s first private rocket, KAIROS, once again failed to reach space. It lost control and was subsequently destroyed by the emergency flight termination system.
The KAIROS rocket was developed by Space One, a company founded in 2018. It was the first private carrier in Japan’s history to be built without the support of the JAXA aerospace agency.
KAIROS is designed to launch small cargoes into Earth orbit. Its length is 18 meters, diameter is 1.35 meters, and mass (including fuel) is 23 tons. It consists of three solid-propellant and one liquid-propellant stage. KAIROS can launch up to 250 kg of cargo into low-Earth orbit and up to 150 kg into a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
KAIROS made its debut flight in March 2024. At that time, the rocket was destroyed by automation just a few seconds after the start of flight because its speed and engine thrust were less than the parameters laid down.
The second launch of KAIROS was postponed several times. It finally took place on December 18. The rocket left the launch pad and began to gain altitude. As eyewitness videos show, at about the 95th second of the flight, shortly before the first stage separation, KAIROS lost control and began to rotate. The rocket was then detonated by automation for safety reasons.
The crazy ending of SpaceOne's second launch attempt of Kairos solid rocket. https://t.co/PbljsombQX pic.twitter.com/1ETdzuJxqD
— China 'N Asia Spaceflight 🚀𝕏 🛰️ (@CNSpaceflight) December 18, 2024
It is unknown at this time what led to the second KAIROS crash. Aboard the failed rocket were five small satellites provided by various Japanese startups as well as Taiwan’s space agency.
Provided by Reuters
