TOKYO, March 9. Japan's first launch of Space One's Kairos-1 private rocket from the private Spaceport Kii launch site in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, has been postponed, it was announced during a live broadcast from the launch site.
The launch was initially scheduled for 11.01 (05.01 Moscow time), but after the final countdown the rocket did not budge. A couple of minutes later they reported that the launch had been postponed until 11.17 (05.17 Moscow time). When this final countdown ended and the rocket did not fly, it was announced that the launch dates would be changed.
As the governor of Wakayama Prefecture, Shuhei Kishimoto, told reporters, the launch was postponed due to the fact that the water area, which was declared a high-risk zone, danger in connection with the upcoming launch, the ship entered.
The launch was to be the first in Japan to be carried out from a private spaceport. There is a small satellite on board the rocket. If it is safely launched into its intended orbit, this will be the first successful launch of a satellite in the country exclusively by private business.
Kairos-1 is a small solid-fuel rocket, 18 meters long and weighing 23 tons. The satellite on board, as reported by the Kyodo agency with reference to the government satellite information center, will be able to partially replace the satellites that are currently collecting information about North Korean military facilities, as well as check their functionality in the event of a breakdown.
The rocket is characterized by its simple design and low price due to the use of parts, many of which are commercially available .
The company expects to conduct up to 30 launches per year by 2030, which will expand commercial opportunities for the use of outer space.
The first launch was planned for March 2022, but due to the pandemic and resulting supply disruptions, it has already been postponed four times.
In Japan, the liquid-fueled H2A rocket of the Japanese Aerospace Agency JAXA was mainly used to launch satellites into space. In March, the N3 rocket, which will replace the N2A, was launched for the first time. In the class of solid rockets, there is the Epsilon rocket, which is being developed by JAXA and IHI Aerospace. The first private rocket to be launched into outer space at an altitude of 100 kilometers was MOMO from Interstellar Technologies.