Kairos (space rocket)

2024: Rocket explosion after launch

On March 13, 2024, the launch of Japan's first private rocket with a satellite, Space One's Kairos carrier, took place. The mission was unsuccessful, and the rocket exploded a few seconds after launch.

The 18-meter Kairos carrier was launched from the Space One launch pad in the Wakayama region of western Japan. The payload was a small government satellite weighing about 100 kg, designed to observe the Earth's surface. If successful, this would be the first launch of the spacecraft, fully carried out by the efforts of a private Japanese company.

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Space One

The Kairos explosion occurred approximately five seconds after launch. Space One, as of mid-March 2024, does not specify what exactly caused the accident. At the same time, the company emphasizes that the launch scheme is highly automated: only about ten specialists are required to perform all the necessary operations.

It is known that Kairos is equipped with a self-destruction system. It is triggered when errors are detected in the flight path, speed or control mechanisms. This is necessary to minimize possible risks endangering people or objects on the ground. The explosion of the rocket provoked a fire, but there were no casualties on the launch pad.

Space One was founded in 2018. Its investors include Canon Electronics, IHI Aerospace Engineering, Shimizu and the Development Bank of Japan. Due to difficulties with the supply of certain components and other problems, Space One reportedly delayed the launch of Kairos five times. Space One does not disclose the cost of launching the Kairos rocket, but its chief executive, Kozo Abe, said the company is "quite competitive" with America's Rocket Lab.^[1]

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