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First Kairos rocket explodes seconds after liftoff

The first flight of privately developed Japanese rocket ended in a catastrophic failure seconds after liftoff March 12.

The Kairos rocket, built by Japanese company Space One, exploded about five seconds after liftoff at 10:01 p.m. Eastern from Spaceport Kii, a launch site in the southern part of Honshu. The company said those shareholders brought specific strengths, such as Canon’s expertise in mass production of electronics and IHI Aerospace’s background in rocket development. Kairos was billed as Japan’s first orbital launch vehicle developed exclusively with private support and without the backing of the Japanese space agency JAXA.

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