Japan’s Space One Kairos rocket explodes on inaugural flight

Japan’s Space One’s small, solid-fuelled Kairos rocket exploded shortly after launch on its inaugural trip on Wednesday as the firm tried to become the first Japanese company to put a satellite in orbit.
The 18 metre, four-stage solid-fuel rocket exploded seconds after lifting off just after 11:01 a.m., leaving behind a large cloud of smoke and a fire near the launch pad, visible on a local media livestream of the launch on the tip of Kii peninsula in western Japan.
Kairos carried an experimental government satellite that can temporarily replace intelligence satellites currently in orbit if they fall offline.
There was no immediate indication of what caused the explosion, or whether there were any injuries. Pads typically have no people anywhere nearby during a launch.
Space One had initially planned the launch for Saturday but postponed it after a ship entered the nearby restricted sea area.