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Space
Space
Science
Mike Wall

Japan's private Space One Kairos rocket explodes after launch failure during 3rd test flight

Space One's Kairos rocket launches on its third-ever mission on March 4, 2026 from Spaceport Kii. Space One terminated the flight about two minutes after liftoff.

The third time was not the charm for Space One's Kairos rocket.

Kairos launched for the third time ever on Wednesday (March 4), lifting off from Space One's Spaceport Kii in Wakayama Prefecture at 9:10 p.m. EST (0210 GMT and 11:10 a.m. local time in Japan on March 5). But it was all over about two minutes later.

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