Tech & Sci
08:03, 01-Jul-2018
Rocket developed by Japan startup crashes into flames seconds after liftoff
Updated
07:09, 04-Jul-2018
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A rocket developed by a Japanese startup company burst into flames seconds in a crash seconds after a failed liftoff Saturday in northern Japan.
The MOMO-2 rocket, developed by Interstellar Technologies, was launched in Taiki town on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. It was supposed to reach as high as 100 kilometers (62 miles) into space.
Television footage showed that the 10-meter (33-foot) pencil rocket lifted only slightly from the launch pad before dropping to the ground, disappearing in a fireball. Footage on NHK public television showed a charred rocket lying on the ground.
A rocket developed by a private company in Japan crashes to the ground and bursts into flames seconds after liftoff in Taiki, on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, on June 30, 2018. /VCG Photo
A rocket developed by a private company in Japan crashes to the ground and bursts into flames seconds after liftoff in Taiki, on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, on June 30, 2018. /VCG Photo
The incident caused no injuries.
Interstellar Technologies president Takahiro Inagawa said he believes the rocket suffered a glitch in its main engine.
He apologized for the failure and said his team would collect the debris to analyze the problem and improve the rocket.
Saturday’s failure was the second after the rocket’s first launch last July.
The project was started in 2005 by maverick entrepreneur Takafumi Horie, founder of Internet service provider Livedoor, who was joined by science journalists and other space fans in an effort to develop a small, lightweight and low-cost rocket to send information satellites into space.
Source(s): AP