Video: Japanese Space Rocket Explodes After Takeoff

Though private companies have been launching rockets and other craft into space for several decades, the practice has seemingly grown more ubiquitous in recent years thanks to the growth of private spaceflight companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. One Japanese company is looking to become the country’s first private company to put a satellite into orbit, but its most recent attempt ended in an explosive failure. 

On March 12, Space One’s Kairos spacecraft launched just after 11 a.m. local time from Spaceport Kii in Wakayama Prefecture. Local media livestreams showed the moment just seconds after takeoff when the unmanned rocket exploded in midair, resulting in clouds of smoke and flaming debris and a fire in a nearby forest on the ground. Kairos measured 60 feet long and weighed 23 tons and was headed for orbit on its inaugural flight. 

According to Space One president Masakazu Toyoda, the spacecraft’s autonomous flight termination system was triggered, causing it to explode without the control of crew. “The rocket terminated the flight after judging that the achievement of its mission would be difficult,” Toyoda said, per Reuters.The company is investigating what caused the failure and set off Kairos’ detonation system before working on its next launch. 

Luckily, no one was hurt in the explosion, as there typically aren’t any people on launch pads during a launch, and according to Space One, it only requires about a dozen team members working at its ground control center. For now, its goal of becoming the first Japanese company to get an orbit into satellite remains on the horizon.