WAKAYAMA, Japan (Bernama-Kyodo): Japan's space startup postponed its rocket launch scheduled for Sunday due to unfavourable weather conditions, the company said, as reported by Kyodo News.
The launch window for Space One Co.'s Kairos No. 3 rocket runs through March 25, but a new launch date has not yet been set, it said. Some 700 people had gathered near the launch site, Space Port Kii in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture.
A successful launch of the 18-metre, 23-tonne solid-fuel rocket would make Space One the first private company in Japan to send a satellite into orbit on its own.
The rocket's launch was originally set for Feb 25 but postponed due to weather.
Space One's first rocket failed in March 2024, exploding midair. The company's second attempt in December that year ended in self-destruction due to an attitude control problem.
The company was established in 2018 by Canon Electronics Inc., IHI Aerospace Co., Shimizu Corp. and the government-owned Development Bank of Japan, with the aim of commercialising space delivery services by lowering costs and offering more frequent rocket launches. -- Bernama-Kyodo
