A rocket from a private Japanese company exploded a few seconds after takeoff in western Japan. This mission from the start-up Space One aimed to place a Japanese government satellite in orbit.
Named ‘Kairos’ and 18 meters high, the rocket took off on Wednesday at 11:01 a.m. Japanese time (02:01 GMT) The rocket transformed into a ball of fire, thick smoke invaded the launch site and flaming debris from the machine fell on the surrounding slopes.