Japanese rocket explodes into dramatic fireball just seconds after liftoff

Japanese company Space One’s inaugural launch of a small rocket ended in a disastrous explosion shortly after liftoff on Wednesday in what could be a setback to the country’s private space ambitions.

The 18m (59 ft) tall, four-stage solid-fuelled Kairos rocket blew up just seconds after liftoff at about 2am GMT (11.01am local time), leaving behind a large cloud of fire and smoke near the launch pad.

The explosion sprayed fire and debris near the launch site at western Japan’s mountainous Kii peninsula about 420km southwest of Tokyo, as can be seen in local media livestreams of the launch.

With the launch, Space One was attempting to become the first Japanese company to put a satellite in orbit.

The rocket was carrying an experimental government satellite to temporarily replace intelligence satellites in orbit in case they drop offline.

It is immediately unclear what caused the explosion and if anyone was injured.

The launch, initially planned for Saturday, was postponed at the last minute after a ship entered the nearby “maritime warning area”.

“We informed the public in advance that we wanted to make the area free of people, but even 10 minutes before the launch, a vessel remained in the area, so we decided to cancel the launch because it would have been impossible for them to leave promptly,” Space One executive Kozo Abe told local news outlets.

Space One, established in 2018, wanted to conduct its first launch in 2021, with the goal of taking up 20 liftoffs by 2030.

The startup was set up by a consortium of Japanese companies including Canon Electronics, construction firm Shimizu and the state backed Development Bank of Japan.

It hoped to offer “space parcel delivery” service, amid booming demands to send small satellites into orbit among international and private-sector businesses.

However, the firm was forced to postpone five times since 2021, citing the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine causing delays in procuring parts, The Japan Times reported.

Canon Electronics’s shares dropped by more than nine per cent after the failed launch.

The explosion could be a setback to Japan, a relatively small player in the booming market for commercial space launches.