Tokyo-based startup Space One on Saturday postponed its second attempt this year to become the first private Japanese company to put a satellite into orbit using its solid-fuel Kairos No. 2 rocket.
This delay comes after the failure of its first rocket, which erupted into flames just seconds after liftoff earlier this spring. Strong winds were cited as the reason for the cancellation, and the launch has been postponed to a date from Sunday onward.
The 18-meter, 23-ton solid-fuel Kairos rocket was set to launch at 11 a.m. from a new space facility in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, but its liftoff was abruptly postponed about 30 minutes before the schedule. The rocket was planned to carry five small satellites, including ones from Taiwan’s space agency and a venture company based in Kyoto.
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