Tokyo, Japan

Japanese space firm Space One KAIROS, aiming to become the nation's first private firm to put a satellite into orbit, postponed its second attempt on Sunday (Dec 14) by two days — a third in total. The company's first attempt ended in a mid-air explosion in March of this year and the second one on Saturday was postponed just minutes before the launch.

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What happened?

According to local media, including national broadcaster NHK, weather conditions forced the postponement of the rocket launch for the second day running.

Tokyo-based Space One's Kairos rocket was originally scheduled to blast off from the company's launch pad, dubbed Spaceport Kii, in the rural western region of Wakayama at 11 am (0200 GMT). However, just 20 minutes before the scheduled launch, it was called off and rescheduled for 24 hours later - Sunday at 11 am.

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"During the final decision-making process for the launch, we analysed the weather conditions and determined that the wind speeds above an altitude of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) were so strong that it was not suitable for launch," said Space One executive Kozo Abe on Saturday. 

In this attempt, the Kairos rocket was supposed to carry five satellites into orbit, including one from the Taiwan Space Agency and others designed by Japanese students and corporate ventures.

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Kairos' first failed attempt

In March 2024, the 18-metre (60-foot) solid-fuel rocket Kairos, carrying a small government test satellite, blasted off from the Space One launch pad. 

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However, just seconds later, a technical problem was detected and a self-destruct instruction was transmitted to the rocket. Soon after, the rocket erupted in flames as hundreds of spectators gathered nearby and witnessed the dramatic scene.

If it had been successful, the company would have become the first private Japanese firm to put a satellite into orbit.

(With inputs from agencies)