(Bloomberg) -- Space One Co., a Japanese startup backed by Canon Inc., failed a second time to launch its rocket in yet another setback for the country’s commercial space industry.
The lightweight Kairos rocket was carrying five satellites when it was ordered to self-destruct shortly after taking off around 11 a.m. Wednesday morning local time from Space Port Kii, about 420 kilometers (260 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
The flight was terminated after mission control determined success would be difficult, the company said in a statement.
“We would like to apologize to our customers and to all those involved in the launch for not being able to complete the mission, and we deeply regret that we were unable to meet the expectations of all those who supported us,” Space One said.
Space One said it would investigate the cause of the incident and try another launch.
The company’s initial attempt in March ended in flames after a self-destruct signal was sent to the rocket seconds after leaving the ground.
Japan’s space agency suffered a significant setback when the lightweight Epsilon S rocket failed its second test run after catching fire on Nov. 26.
Space One, founded in 2018, is supported by investors including Canon Electronics Inc., IHI Aerospace Engineering Co., real estate contractor Shimizu Corp. and the Development Bank of Japan. Previous launches were delayed by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, according to Chief Executive Officer Masakazu Toyoda.
At 18 meters (59 feet), the Kairos is shorter than the Japanese national space agency’s 24-meter-tall Epsilon and the 63-meter-tall H3, which JAXA launched in February.
Space One last month announced that it had signed agreements with customers, including Taiwan’s space agency, to have satellites on the second Kairos launch attempt.
Space Port Kii is the nation’s first launch complex for commercial missions, offering companies an alternative to the site that national space agency JAXA uses in southern Japan.
(Updates with comments from company, details of JAXA launch after third paragraph)
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