posted 03-13-2024 11:06 AM               

The Kairos solid-fuel rocket launched just after 11 a.m. local time and burst into flames seconds later, livestreams of the launch showed. The explosion left behind a large plume of smoke and set off a fire in a nearby forest that firefighters later put out.

The 60-foot-long rocket weighs 23 tons and was launched from Space Port Kii in Wakayama Prefecture on Japan’s main island, according to the company’s website.

Mamoru Endo, a Space One director, said at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon that the rocket appeared to have automatically self-destructed after its systems detected an abnormality.