TOKYO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — Japanese startup Space One mentioned its second try and launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit had been aborted minutes after liftoff in western Japan on Wednesday.
The 18-meter, 23-ton solid-fuel Kairos No. 2 rocket, carrying 5 small satellites, lifted off at round 11 a.m. native time from Space Port Kii in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, the nation’s first private-sector launch pad.
However, the rocket ended the flight “after judging that the achievement of its mission would be difficult,” Space One mentioned in a press release.
The Tokyo-based firm is investigating the trigger.
Wednesday’s failure got here 9 months after a failed debut flight in March, when the rocket exploded shortly after liftoff following the transmission of a self-destruct order.