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Space One rocket explodes immediately after liftoff in Japan【Videos】

Casey Baseel Mar 14, 2024
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KAIROS flight was much shorter than planned.

Space One is a Tokyo-based aerospace company aiming to become Japan’s first private-sector organization to launch a satellite into orbit around the earth. They’re not just a bunch of theoretical, pie-in-the-sky/space dreamers either, as they have their own launch site located on the Kii Peninsula of Wakayama Prefecture. On Wednesday morning, Space One was set to accomplish its mission with the launch of its unmanned 18-meter (59-foot) KAIROS rocket.

Things did not go as planned.

民間小型ロケット爆発し打ち上げ失敗和歌山https://t.co/Fnct2k3y4a #nhk_video pic.twitter.com/aHBkcQUoLX

— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) March 13, 2024

“Immediately after liftoff, it looks as though the rocket exploded,” says the announcer from Japanese public broadcaster NHK in the above video, displaying a remarkable commitment to not jumping to conclusions. Really, though, the situation is exactly what it looks like. Though the plan was for the rocket to take its payload up to an altitude of 500 kilometers (31 miles) in 50 minutes, its flight lasted less than five seconds, reaching a height of, by Space One’s estimation, only about 60 meters (197 feet).

As for how a rocket’s flight could go off the figurative rails so quickly and spectacularly, the fireball is actually the result of the KAIROS self-destructing. If, after takeoff, the rocket’s sensors detect that some mechanical error or other problem will cause the craft to deviate from its planned flight path or otherwise pose a danger, the craft is configured to detonate itself.

▼ The angle of this video shows the rocket beginning to rotate slightly almost as soon as it takes off.

As shocking as the explosion looks, no injuries resulted. Due to the early detonation, the debris fell within the area of the Space One facility, and the fire appears to have been contained to a mountainous, uninhabited area.

▼ Video of the launch from Niconico News, which allows viewers to add text comments. Even if you can’t read Japanese, you can clearly see the mood shift as the rocket explodes.

民間ロケット「カイロス」打上げ成功ならず＝和歌山県串本町・那智勝浦町

▶ https://t.co/pKnSWn4lM4

日本初の民間ロケット射場 #スペースポート紀伊から打ち上げ数秒後にロケット爆発。#スペースワン #SpaceOne #KAIROS
（映像：スペースポート紀伊周辺地域協議会） pic.twitter.com/ZGm8OJXa0i

— ニコニコニュース (@nico_nico_news) March 13, 2024

It’s a sad setback not just for Space One, but also for Kushimoto, the town where the launch facility is located. “It is unfortunate that today’s attempt turned out this way,” said Kushimoto mayor Katsumaki Tashima following the incident, “but I still hope that we can achieve a successful rocket launch.”

Space One president Masakazu Toyoda and other representatives of the company held a press conference, in which Toyoda said, “We deeply apologize to all those who were looking forward [to today’s launch]” and that Space One is still in the process of investigating the exact cause of the problem.

However, Toyoda remains confident about Space One’s future. When asked “What do you think about today’s failure?”, his response included, “At Space One, we don’t use the word ‘failure.’ Within each attempt, there is new data and gained experience, and all of those help form the basis for the next attempt,” asserting that that attitude is built into the company culture at Space One and that they won’t be giving up on their goals.

Source: NHK News Web, FNN Prime Online, Reuters
Top image: Pakutaso
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