The Kairos solid-fuel rocket of the Japanese company Space One exploded just seconds after its first launch. Space One planned to be the first Japanese company to launch a satellite into orbit. About this the agency Reuters.
"The 18-meter rocket exploded five seconds after takeoff, leaving behind a large cloud of smoke, fire, rocket debris and firewater spray near the launch pad," - writes the agency.
The company's president, Masakazu Toyoda, said that the rocket stopped its flight because a decision was made about the difficulty of completing the mission.
Space One did not say what caused the self-destruction after the first stage ignited, or when the company will next launch Kairos. They only promised to investigate the explosion.
The company said the launch is highly automated, requiring only about a dozen ground personnel, and that the rocket self-destructs when it detects errors in its flight path, speed or control system that could lead to an accident that would endanger people on the ground.
"We don't use the word 'failure' because each challenge gives us new data and experience for the next challenge." Toyoda said at a news conference.
According to Wakayama Prefectural Governor Shuhei Kishimoto, there were no injuries near the launch site and the fire was extinguished.
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