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© Thomson Reuters 2024.Japan's Space One Kairos rocket explodes right after lift-off
By Kantaro Komiya TOKYO©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
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Redemption
Hope noone was hurt.
sakurasuki
Again? This is really show current Japan Inc quality.
Last year March
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/07/japan-h3-rocket-fails-after-liftoff-self-destruct
.
Last year April
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Science/Japan-s-ispace-announces-failure-of-1st-private-moon-landing-attempt
.
2022 October
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/10/d5307e8e9da1-breaking-news-japan-space-agency-sends-self-destruction-command-to-epsilon-6-rocket.html
dagon
"Fail and fail often" is a pretty good ethos if you have state backing and will get bailed out, and another state-backed venture Musk's Space X shares a similar ethos.
Instead of replicating decades old achievements in aerospace with private ventures, I wonder why they just don't cut out the middle man and instead of backing private state ventures go the old NASA route of funding real scientists and engineers into making ground-breaking discoveries and achievements.
sakurasuki
Because in Japan Inc like to reinventing the wheel just prove that Japan Inc can do it, even without any actual meaning.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/08/01/business/tech/parts-makers-literally-reinventing-wheel-keep-shift-autonomous-cars/
deanzaZZR
Space is hard. Space is especially hard for Japan it seems.
Fighto!
Slightly disappointing - but this is cutting edge tech, so problems do occur. As long as Space One learns from this, I'm sure the next launch, very soon, will succeed.
KazukoHarmony
SpaceX prices just went up.
kurisupisu
North Korea is always ready to partner with Japan to invigorate the space industry here.
wallace
Back to the drawing board.
Wesley
Knowing the Japanese, they will bounce back.
They will never give up.
Mr Kipling
They really do need to man up and ask the North Koreans how to do this.
Tim Sullivan
A symbol of Japan's decline. Even North Korea can do a better job of launching rockets.
GillislowTier
Dang y’all really jumped past the whole private company party of the dtory
Slayer
Just hire SpaceX and stop trying to reinvent the wheel.
HopeSpringsEternal
Startups with deep pocket financial backers, missing the entrepreneurial edge and aggressiveness. While technically a startup, their backers are strictly legacy players, many financial with no strategic value. What top notch engineer wants to work for these suits?
SpaceX's upcoming Starship will make these rockets useless anyway, by an order of 10x cheaper per kilo moved to space. Seems, backer companies seek to impress their shareholders by burning up the cash in flight...do wonder the insured value of that satellite on board, that's gotta hurt.
John
Having friends, relatives and mates instead of top professionals at jobs are usually the main cause of failures.
Blacklabel
Just makes Elon look even more amazing.
YankeeX
Disappointing but no surprise
rcch
残念! Space ain’t easy. I wish you guys good luck. 頑張って! :)
wallace
It's not rocket science. Accidents happen. Unlike the Space Shuttle disaster, fortunately, no one was killed.
nik
stop polluting the common sea
Mark
Someone has never heard of Hayabusa2.
Sven Asai
At least they should show a minimum of mannered human behavior and ask the public before they blow hundreds of millions of our money into nothing and pollute air and environment with their unlimited crazy and useless ideas. They and their supporters can do it, but please pay the development and the damage costs out of your own pockets and not with money from us many unasked!
wallace
What public money are you referring to? Modern society needs satellites. Maybe read the article first.
"Tokyo-based Space One was established in 2018 by a consortium of Japanese companies: Canon Electronics, the aerospace engineering unit of IHI, construction firm Shimizu and the state-backed Development Bank of Japan. Two of Japan's biggest banks, Mitsubishi UFJ and Mizuho, also own minority stakes."
Kumagaijin
Makes me think of the phrase "Its not rocket science." Because it is, of course. You would think that we humans would have figured it out by now. I mean, we've been going to space since Sputnik in '57, yet scientists are still struggling to consistently send rockets into orbit without them exploding. Its either because countries are too secret about the technology involved, that everyone is out for themselves, or we are constantly trying to figure out something better. Probably a combination of the two.
NOMINATION
I guess whatever it takes for you to attack an ENTIRE country eh?
Asiaman7
wallace
No, Wallace. This IS rocket science!
wallace
'
"It's not rocket science" simply means it's not difficult to understand the launching of rockets have failed take offs.
リッチ
Sadly this shows the real IT ability of Japanese businesses.
Wasabi
This is how you learn and progress!
deanzaZZR
An explosive debut for Space One to be sure.
Fighto!
When Japan puts a man on the moon by 2034, I bet we won't hear any banter from you guys then!
Peter14
You learn more from failure than from success. As long as they stick with it they will become a competent launch company. Few have a complete success on the first attempt.
kokontozai
Someone is commenting on North Korea, but they must be joking.
Japan's first satellite --- 1970
North Korea's first satellite --- 2023
North Korea is more than 50 years behind Japan.
And by the way, countries that have sent lander to the moon --- only 5 countries including Japan
Countries that brought back materials from asteroids --- only 2 countries including Japan
Fighto!
@BlackLabel -
You seem to do a lot of idolizing of (rich) men. There seems to be a theme here.
John
And that’s why it’s called rocket science.
I seem to recall St. Elon having his fair share of fizz-booms as well.
Learn, recalibrate and try again.
WoodyLee
Back to the drawing board, better luck next time.
Quo Primum
Fighto! Today 04:39 pm JST
Right. That'll be only 65 years after the U.S. did it. Way to keep up!
And why does it have to be a man, anyway? Sexist much?
geronimo2006
Bit early for the fireworks season. Better luck next time.
Michael Machida
Really a great try Japan! Try again?
HopeSpringsEternal
That Govt. satellite on board was a serious taxpayer funded asset. Were we the taxpayer insured? Probably not, so yes besides the eco damage, we all got screwed.
HopeSpringsEternal
Govt. should consider their fiduciary responsibilities, rather take extreme risks with an unproven operator with a very expensive taxpayer funded satellite. DUH?!
Wesley
With the help of Nazi Germany-educated Germans.
Wesley
Look folks, even the US & the Russians had MANY failures before they got it right.
I also wonder how many the N. Koreans & the china-nese blew up and kept it hidden from the media.
Also, you have to consider the possibility of sabotage by Japan's enemies. Ever heard of D.E.W?
Martimurano
"We don't use the word failure"......
Why not ? If it's failure, then call it a failure, there's no shame in that. You can still come back with rectification and learn from it, no matter what you call it.
HopeSpringsEternal
Failure's fine, it's an iterative process, but why with an expensive satellite on board? No learning there, pure stupidity!
wallace
The payload is usually insured.
ian
Deliberate self destruct to minimize danger, nice touch
NOMINATION
Why do you have to be the party pooper of this Japan bashing celebration?
ian
Haha you really didn't learn anything? Then I agree
HopeSpringsEternal
Actually, no insurer touched this with even a ten foot pole according to my sources. No track record. Govt rarely insures as well. This was 100% uninsured.
HopeSpringsEternal
But even if it was insured, which it wasn't, the domestic insurance company(s) take the financial responsibility, so it's still the same societal loss.
kwatt
Japan's Space one has just started the new rocket. The self-destruction activated as the mission became very difficult. Failure would be success sooner or later.
wallace
HopeSpringsEternal
Post your sources then.
You can provide links?
HopeSpringsEternal
Do the math, if insured, insurer(s) lose, if not insured Govt. loses. Anyone can search satellite transport insurance, there's no insurance market, never has been.
HopeSpringsEternal
You're EXACTLY Wrong, see above, and I won't ask for your non-existent sources either!
wallace
You don't have any to post. A simple search on insured payloads gives many sites on the subject. For instance
https://www.global-aero.com/aviation-insurance-coverage/space-satellite-insurance/#:~:text=Space%20%26%20Satellite%20Insurance,risks%20and%20third%2Dparty%20liability.
wallace
Satellite insurance – a brief introductory guide
https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/guides/satellite-insurance--a-brief-introductory-guide-174465.aspx
kibousha
Never mind the naysayers, build it again and launch it again!
TaiwanIsNotChina
It was the thing to do at the time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Alsos .
TokyoLiving
Well things like that always happens..
Japan will try it again and again and will achieve it successfully..
Today is a happy day for Japan hater losers but next time will be a sad day for them..
Because Japan will do it and better..
GO JAPAN!!..
deanzaZZR
Building rockets that make it safely to orbit is mature technology at this time. That Japan's rockets go boom far too often in recent years is disturbing.
Orbital launch attempts/success by country 2023
USA 116/109
China 67/66
Russia 19/19
India 7/7
Japan 3/2
1glenn
Most of the rockets I used to help launch at Vandenberg AFB were liquid fueled, but we also launched solid fuel rockets. I will never forget standing less than 50 feet away from an augmented Scout solid fuel rocket as it put a small, 5 pound European satellite into space. In hindsight, I should have been further away, but it was a lot of fun standing near a rocket as it takes off. It always amazed me that so many people would choose to be in bunkers during a launch, instead above ground, but then I was filled with the foolishness of youth.
For those who don't know, solid fuel rockets have a lower specific impulse than liquid fuel rockets, but they are generally cheaper. They are often used as strap-on boosters to liquid fueled rockets, to help them get off the ground.
The field of rocket science is fascinating. Ion drive motors are very efficient, but do not have sufficient force to lift anything off of Earth. So, one way of doing unmanned space travel is as follows. First, get off the ground with liquid fueled rockets, assisted by solid fuel rocket boosters if necessary. Once in space, and destined for interstellar travel, an ion drive engine is the most practical, but not for maneuvering, for obvious reasons.
So anyway, it is exciting to watch Japan conduct its space program, much of which has already been very successful. The program to return asteroid material to Earth was magnificently done. I have no doubt that great things will be done in the future.
Peter Neil
BlacklabelMar. 13 01:51 pm JST
the first 3 space x rockets failed.
amazing, huh?
SaikoPhysco
I'm sure, with enough money backing them that they will, of course, be successful, but do they have enough money? Canon, IHI and Shimizu Construction are the 3 main participants in this consortium... will they have deep enough pockets to continue on? They are up against Space X at this point. Space X has launched their Falcon 9 rocket 318 times since 2010, with just 2 failures. Last year Space X launched 96 successful missions, 8 launches a month. Space One is very late to the game... this is going to come down to dollars and cents... will stock holders continue to back this program is the question.
kurisupisu
To see how it’s done properly?
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1768004039680426406?t=420
lostrune2
Turns out it's like rocket science
Goes to show how incredible the other private companies (mostly Western) have now achieved with their launch vehicles