Posted: Sun, Mar 8, 2026, 9:38 AM ET (1338 GMT)
The third launch of Japan's Kairos small launch vehicle failed Wednesday night. The rocket lifted off from Spaceport Kii in southern Honshu at 9:10 pm EST (0210 GMT Thursday). About 70 seconds after liftoff, though, there appeared to be an explosion, with the rocket breaking up into several fragments. Space One, the company that operates Kairos, said that the flight termination system of the rocket was activated but did not disclose additional details. This was the third launch, and third failure, of Kairos, a solid-fuel rocket designed to place up to 150 kilograms into sun-synchronous orbit.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Jiji Press article
•  Asahi Shimbun article
•  Yomiuri Shimbun article
•  Japan Times article