AP
A Japanese space rocket blew up after takeoff Tuesday, turning the sky into a fireball of smoke and debris on live stream TV.
The 59-foot Space One Kairos spacecraft lifted off from a platform in western Japan’s Kii Peninsula on Wednesday, but it exploded moments after it launched.
Local media was live streaming the inaugural event by Space One, a start-up trying to become the country’s first private company to put a satellite into orbit.
Check out the video … the 23-ton solid-fueled rocket blasted off from the launchpad, leaving a massive cloud of white smoke in its wake as it traveled to the cosmos. Suddenly, the craft intentionally detonated, transforming into fiery wreckage dropping to the ground.
The Space One president said, “the rocket terminated the flight after judging that the achievement of its mission would be difficult.”
Space One is now investigating the flight data to determine what went wrong. It’s not clear yet if anyone was killed or injured, but so far no injuries have been reported.
Typically no people are on pads during a launch, but the company has said the launch requires about 12 staff members at the ground control center.
We’ll keep you posted once we get an update.
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