Japanese Space Startup Aborts 2nd Satellite Launch Attempt Minutes After Liftoff

Japanese Space Startup Aborts 2nd Satellite Launch Attempt Minutes After Liftoff
The Kairos No. 2 rocket, a Japanese commercial rocket carrying a set of satellites, is launched from Space Port Kii in Kushimoto town, western Japan, on Dec. 18, 2024. Kyodo News via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:
0:00

TOKYO—A Japanese space startup said its second attempt to launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit had been aborted minutes after liftoff Wednesday and destroyed itself again, nine months after the company’s first launch attempt ended in an explosion.

Space One’s Kairos No. 2 rocket lifted off from a coastal site in the mountainous prefecture of Wakayama in central Japan.