Japan’s Space One Kairos rocket exploded shortly after launch on its inaugural trip on Wednesday (March 13) as the firm tried to become the first Japanese company to put a satellite in orbit.
The 18 metre (59 ft), four-stage solid-fuel rocket exploded seconds after lifting off just after 11:01 a.m. (0201 GMT), leaving behind a large loud of smoke and a fire near the launch pad on the tip of Kii peninsula in western Japan.
Kairos carried an experimental government satellite that can temporarily replace intelligence satellites currently in orbit if they fall offline.
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