INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kairos, a small, solid-fuel rocket made by Japan&s Space One, exploded shortly after its inaugural launch on Wednesday as the firm tried to
become the first Japanese company to put a satellite in orbit.The 18-meter rocket exploded seconds after lifting off at 11:01 a.m
leaving behind a large cloud of smoke, a fire, fragments of the rocket and firefighting water sprays near the launch pad, visible on local
media livestreams, Reuters reported.Space One said it &terminated the flight& after the launch on the tip of mountainous Kii peninsula in
western Japan and was investigating flight data.Shuhei Kishimoto, governor of local Wakayama government, told reporters after being briefed
by Space One that a problem triggered the autonomous flight-termination system
He did not specify what the problem was
There were no injuries near the launch pad, and the fire has been extinguished, Kishimoto added.Kairos carried an experimental government
satellite that can temporarily replace intelligence satellites in orbit if they fall offline.Although Japan is a relatively small player in
the space race, the nation&s rocket developers are scrambling to build cheaper vehicles to capture booming demand for satellite launches
from its government and from global clients.The post Japan&s Space One Kairos rocket explodes on inaugural flight first appeared on Ariana
