Space One’s No. 3 Kairos Rocket Terminates Mid-Flight

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:25 JST, March 5, 2026

KUSHIMOTO, Wakayama — The launch of the No. 3 Kairos rocket ended in failure mid-flight on Thursday when its developer terminated the mission shortly after the rocket left its launchpad in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture.

The 18-meter-tall, three-stage rocket, developed by Space One Co., lifted off from Space Port Kii at 11:10 a.m. However, live footage showed the rocket spinning about one minute later, failing to put its satellites into orbit.

Five minutes after launch, the Tokyo-based startup announced that it had terminated the mission, stating that it “found the mission difficult to complete.”

The No. 3 rocket’s failed launch followed the unsuccessful attempts by its two predecessors in 2024.

Kairos generates thrust by burning solid fuel. According to Space One, it decided to terminate the No. 3 rocket’s mission when the engine on the first stage started burning. The company suspects that some problems might have occurred while the rocket was traveling in midair. There have been no reports of any harm to people, it added.

The No. 3 rocket was carrying five small satellites. Had the satellites been put into orbit as scheduled, Kairos would have been the first rocket developed by a private company in Japan to achieve this feat.

Originally scheduled for Feb. 25, the launch had been postponed three times, mainly due to weather conditions.

The No. 1 Kairos rocket, launched in March 2024, exploded about five seconds after liftoff. In December that year, its successor had its flight terminated about three minutes after launch. For the third rocket, Space One implemented measures based on lessons learned from these failed launches.

The startup was founded in 2018 with investments from IHI Aerospace Co., Canon Electronics Inc. and two other firms. Space One aims to provide a space delivery service that frequently launches satellites.