A rocket made by a Japanese company exploded just after launch on Wednesday, March 13, in Japan's Wakayama.
Tokyo-based startup Space One had been aiming to become the first Japanese private firm to successfully place a satellite into orbit.
Its 18-meter (60-foot) solid-fuel Kairos rocket blasted off from the startup's own launch pad in Wakayama prefecture in western Japan, carrying a small government test satellite. But seconds after the launch, the rocket erupted into a ball of flame, with black smoke filling the launch pad area.
Burning debris was seen falling onto the surrounding mountain slopes as sprinklers began spraying water. (Video courtesy of NHK / AFPTV)
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