A rocket belonging to a private Japanese space company exploded shortly after takeoff. A satellite on board was also destroyed. Apparently the self-destruction was triggered.
In Japan, a private company’s satellite launch failed with the launch vehicle exploding. As Japanese media reported, shortly after the launch of the 18-meter-long Cairo carrier rocket, it self-destructed for an initially unknown reason. A fireball, thick black smoke and debris could be seen falling into the surrounding mountains.
Tokyo-based Space One wanted to be the first private company to send a satellite into orbit from Japan’s commercial spaceport Space Port Kii in western Wakayama Prefecture. The reason for the failed launch is being investigated, it said. The failed launch is a setback for Japan’s efforts to penetrate the potentially lucrative market of commercial rocket launches.
The 18 meter long rocket was intended to launch a satellite into space.
Jaxa starts successfully
In contrast, Japan’s state space agency Jaxa recently successfully launched the new H3 carrier rocket after an initial failure. The rocket lifted off last month from Japan’s state-owned Tanegashima spaceport in the southwest of the country with a dummy satellite and two tiny satellites on board. With the restart, the space agency Jaxa wanted to dispel doubts about the reliability of the new launch vehicle.
During a first launch attempt last year, the engine of the second rocket stage failed to ignite. Since the mission had no chance of success, the self-destruction was triggered shortly after takeoff. The H3 is the successor to the reliable H2A rocket and Japan’s first new development of its own large launch vehicle in around 30 years. The H3 is considered more powerful, cheaper and safer than the H2A, which is soon to be phased out.