A domestic startup funded by Canon Electronics and IHI subsidiaries, etc.space one(Minato-ku, Tokyo) on the 9th postponed the launch of the first small rocket “Kairos” scheduled for the morning of the same day to after the 13th. This is because the ship remained in the maritime warning area before the launch.
Kairos was scheduled to launch from Spaceport Kii, Japan’s first private rocket launch site in Kushimoto Town, Wakayama Prefecture, just after 11 a.m. on the 9th, but the schedule change was announced a few minutes before the scheduled time.
Kozo Abe, Space One’s executive officer, said at a press conference that “the ship remained in the maritime warning zone, which the company had hoped to leave unmanned, even 10 minutes before launch. We were unable to get the ship to leave immediately.” explained. For the next launch, measures will be taken, such as informing people to stay away from the designated area as early as possible. The company also said there were no problems with the rocket’s fuselage, and plans to announce the launch schedule and other details two days in advance, taking into account weather and other factors.
This was the first attempt by a domestic startup to launch a satellite. At a preliminary briefing, Space One President Masakazu Toyoda said, “I hope this project will become an opportunity for Japan to change itself, from being led by the public sector to being led by the private sector.” Shimizu Corporation, Development Bank of Japan, and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank are also investors in the company.
According to Space One, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) small rocket Epsilon is 26 meters long, while Kairos is 18 meters long. The company plans to use Spaceport Kii, a dedicated launch site, to conduct short-term, high-frequency launches, with the aim of conducting 20 launches a year.
(Contents of the press conference, including the reason for the postponement of the launch, have been added)