A ROCKET attempting to put a satellite into orbit exploded just seconds after lift-off in Japan.
Fiery debris and huge plumes of smoke filled the air after Space One’s botched launch of its Kairos rocket.
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The company was trying to become the first Japanese company to successfully put a satellite in orbit.
Just five seconds after taking off, the 59ft rocket exploded – leaving a massive fireball in its wake on the tip of the mountainous Kii peninsula in western Japan.
Dramatic footage showed a huge plume of smoke engulfing the area as spurts of water desperately tried to put out the fire.
Debris scattered from the sky and charred pieces of the rocket were later found strewn across the ground.
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Company president Masakazu Toyoda said: “The rocket terminated the flight after judging that the achievement of its mission would be difficult.”
Space One has not confirmed what problem was detected by the rocket’s automated system that caused it to explode.
The projectile is programmed to self-destruct when it detects errors in its flight path, speed or control system that could cause a crash that endangers people on the ground.
Toyoda added: “We don’t use the world ‘failure’, because each trial brings us … new data and experience for another challenge.”
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Space One said the issue happened during step two of the launch, with the first step being liftoff, and all the pieces of the rocket landed on company property.
The rocket was supposed to have sent a government-made satellite into orbit around Earth to gather information – including monitoring possible dangers from rocket launches from neighboring North Korea.
But one of its main purposes was for Japan to play catch-up as rocket launches here have fallen behind that of the US and China.
Space One had planned the launch for Saturday but postponed it after a ship entered the nearby restricted sea area.
Tokyo-based Space One was set up in 2018, with investments from major Japanese companies, including Canon Electronics, IHI, Shimizu and major banks.
It’s hoping to eventually offer space services and travel.
Japan’s main space exploration effort has been led by the government under JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, which sent a spacecraft to the moon and brought back asteroid samples for research.
