Up in flames: The Kairos rocket exploding shortly after its inaugural launch. — Reuters
Kairos, a small, solid-fuel rocket made by the country’s Space One, exploded shortly after its inaugural launch as the firm tried to become the first Japanese company to put a satellite in orbit.
The 18m rocket exploded seconds after lifting off at 11.01am, leaving behind a large cloud of smoke, a fire, fragments of the rocket and firefighting water sprays near the launch pad, visible on local media livestreams.
