Space One suffers third consecutive rocket launch failure

Tokyo (ANTARA) — A Japanese startup, Space One Co., launched a small rocket on Thursday in western Japan, but the mission failed on its third consecutive attempt.

Xinhua reported that the company’s No. 3 Kairos rocket unit was launched at about 11:10 local time from Space Port Kii, a privately operated facility in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, but its flight was halted during ascent, marking another launch failure after two launches in 2024.

In a statement, Space One said Kairos scrapped the flight after assessing that achieving the mission would be difficult, and it is currently investigating the details of the incident.

The launch had been scheduled for Wednesday (4 March), but was cancelled moments before liftoff.

The 18‑metre‑long, 23‑ton solid‑fuel rocket carried five satellites, which were planned to be released and positioned into orbit around 50 minutes after liftoff, at an altitude of about 500 kilometres.

Founded in 2018, the Tokyo‑based company has failed twice in rocket launch attempts. The Kairos rocket’s first flight exploded around five seconds after liftoff in March 2024 due to an error in thrust estimation.

Meanwhile, the flight of the second unit later that year ended with self‑destruction after an issue with altitude control.