KAIROS 2 launch at Space Port Kii. The flight was aborted shortly thereafter.
SPACE ONE's attempt to launch a second KAIROS small rocket has ended in failure just like the first. The company must now wholly reassess and rebuild its rocket system.
KAIROS 2 did in fact lift off on December 18 from the Space Port Kii launch site in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. However, the device that ejects combustion gas for the first stage of the rocket malfunctioned about three minutes into the flight. For safety reasons, the mission was automatically terminated.
If successful, this would have been Japan's first privately funded satellite launched into orbit. It was the second such attempt after KAIROS 1 failed immediately after launch in March.
Launch failures in the early stages of rocket development are by no means unusual. During the verification process, potential defects are uncovered, paving the way for increased reliability. SpaceX, the US company that grew rapidly under the leadership of Elon Musk, also experienced multiple failures in its early days.
SPACE ONE should certainly not be discouraged by the two consecutive failures. However, it should accept these outcomes with humility. Furthermore, it should clarify what went wrong to prevent recurrences and conduct thorough inspections to uncover any other potential problems.
Commercial Launch Ambitions
This time, the rocket carried five domestic and foreign satellites, including one belonging to the Taiwan Space Agency. All of them were lost when the mission was aborted. SPACE ONE must now work hard to regain the trust of its customers.
With KAIROS, the company aims to enter the lucrative business of launching small satellites, for which demand is growing worldwide. Repeated failures make it difficult to envision the company making a success of the business.
In Japan up to now, rocket development has been led by the national government. However, the government hopes to foster private sector participation in the sector in an effort to increase launch opportunities and boost international competitiveness. The goal is for the public and private sectors together to launch 30 rockets per year by the early 2030s.
Carefully Succeeding From Failure
Despite those ambitions, Japan's main rockets, the small Epsilon and the large H3 have both experienced failed launchings in recent years. That means the success or failure of KAIROS will have important implications for Japan's space strategy.
Meanwhile, other nations, including the United States, have taken the lead in the satellite launch business and competition is intensifying. Speed of development is vital for early entry into the market. Nevertheless, if insufficient verification leads to further failures, that would prove counterproductive.
Ensuring reliability is the cornerstone of rocket development. Even if it should take some time, SPACE ONE must identify problems from every angle, including design, evaluation, and testing methods, and try again when it is perfectly prepared.
After all, a great leap forward requires firm footing.
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(Read the editorial in Japanese.)
Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
