Japanese space startup aborts 2nd satellite launch attempt minutes after liftoff

Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese space startup says its second attempt to launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit had been aborted minutes after liftoff. The failed attempt on Wednesday came nine months after the company’s first launch bid ended in an explosion. Space One’s Kairos No. 2 rocket lifted off from a site in the mountainous prefecture of Wakayama in central Japan. The company said it had aborted the flight after concluding that it was unlikely to complete its mission. Space One aims to be Japan’s first company to put a satellite into orbit. It hopes to boost Japan’s lagging space industry with a small rocket for an affordable space transport business.