Japanese venture capital firm Space One’s Kairos rocket has exploded several seconds after liftoff from a launch site in western Japan.
The release took place shortly after 11 a. m. Wednesday in Kushimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture.
Space One says it aborted the flight. The small, solid-fuel rocket that carries satellites has developed a problem. The company is conducting a detailed investigation into the flaw.
Local emergency services say there have been no reports of injuries.
The rocket will put a small satellite into orbit around the Earth at an altitude of 500 kilometers about 50 minutes after takeoff.
If successful, Space One would be the first personal Japanese company to accomplish such a feat on its own.
The satellite was developed by the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center. Center officials said they have asked the company to confirm the current situation and determine the cause of the failed launch. They called the loss of the satellite extremely regrettable.
Officials said the satellite was designed to conduct experiments to see if it would be able to upgrade existing information-gathering satellites. They said the failure to release was unlikely to have a major impact on Japan’s intelligence-gathering capabilities.