Japan's Space One To Launch Rocket In December After First Attempt Failed

Japanese private startup Space One Co. has announced that it plans to launch a rocket in December after its previous attempt to send a satellite-carrying projectile earlier this year failed due to an explosion shortly after lift-off, Kyodo News reported.

In March, its first Kairos rocket exploded midair after a computer within the projectile executed a self-destruction order. I Photo: Space One Co.

The company said the Kairos rocket will be launched from its spaceport in western Japan. In March, its first Kairos rocket exploded midair after a computer within the projectile executed a self-destruction order.

Space One was established in 2018 by Canon Electronics Inc., IHI Aerospace Co., and other entities, aiming to commercialize space delivery services by lowering costs and offering regular rocket launches.

The first Japanese enterprise to develop a rocket exclusively with private support, Space One, aims to send 30 rockets a year into space by the 2030s. It operates the country's first-ever private sector spaceport in Wakayama Prefecture, near Osaka, according to Mainichi Japan.