Japanese rocket explodes seconds after launch

A Japanese company’s attempt to become the country’s first private firm to put a satellite into orbit has failed after the rocket exploded mere seconds after launch. Kairos, a small, solid-fuel rocket designed and built by Space One, suffered a catastrophic failure five seconds into its flight for reasons that have not yet been determined. The rocket was carrying an experimental government spy satellite, which sadly was also destroyed during the explosion. The leading theory as to the cause of the blast is that the rocket’s self-destruct system triggered, according to Space One president Masakazu Toyoda. The system is designed to destroy the rocket if it detects errors in speed, trajectory or control that could endanger lives, although it is not known exactly what triggered it. He was, however, upbeat about the explosion. ‘We don’t use the world ‘failure,’ because each trial brings us... new data and experience for another challenge,’ Toyoda told reporters.