A Japanese small launch vehicle, Kairos, lost control and failed seconds after its Dec. 17 liftoff from Spaceport Kii in southern Honshu. The solid-fuel rocket swiftly ascended but appeared to lose attitude control about two minutes into the flight, tumbling and creating a corkscrew contrail.
Space One, the company behind Kairos, acknowledged the failure but provided limited details, citing an investigation as soon as possible. They initially suspected a problem with the nozzle or attitude control system of the first stage. This launch was carrying five small satellites from Taiwan, Japan, and other companies, but the cause remains unknown.
The failure comes nine months after the first Kairos flight, which ended in an explosion seconds after liftoff due to underperformance by the rocket’s first-stage motor. Space One is seeking to enter the small launch market with Kairos, designed to reach sun-synchronous orbits and 500-kilometer orbits at a 33-degree inclination.
This incident follows another Japanese small launch vehicle setback, where a solid rocket motor exploded during a Nov. 25 static-fire test. The company now plans to delay the Epsilon S rocket’s first launch until beyond March 2025, citing the ongoing issues with its development.
Source: https://spacenews.com/second-kairos-launch-fails