Rocket Explodes Seconds After Launch in Japan
Space One Rocket Explodes Seconds After Launch in Japan The first rocket launched by the Japanese start-up Space One exploded seconds after takeoff on Wednesday, denting its ambition to become the country’s first private company to put a satellite into orbit. The Kairos solid-fuel rocket launched just after 11 a.m. local time and burst into flames seconds later, livestreams of the launch showed. The explosion left behind a large plume of smoke and set off a fire in a nearby forest that firefighters later put out. The 60-foot-long rocket weighs 23 tons and was launched from Space Port Kii in Wakayama Prefecture on Japan’s main island, according to the company’s website. Mamoru Endo, a Space One director, said at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon that the rocket appeared to have automatically self-destructed after its systems detected an abnormality. Space One would investigate how the malfunction occurred, Masakazu Toyoda, the company’s president, told reporters at the news...