Space One KAIROS
Japanese private small-lift orbital rocket
The KAIROS rocket (カイロスロケット), or Kii-based Advanced & Instant Rocket System, is a Japanese solid-fuel rocket designed to launch small satellites of mass up to 250 kg to low Earth orbit and up to 150 kg to sun-synchronous orbit by the private spaceflight company Space One. It consists of three solid fuel powered stages and a liquid propellant upper stage.
01Namesake
The namesake of the KAIROS rocket is the Greek word Kairos, which means the subjective 'right time' as contrasted with Chronos which is the objective clock time. Kairos is also an alternate spelling of the name of Caerus, the Greek deity of luck and opportunity.
02Manufacture
IHI Aerospace manufactures the KAIROS rocket at Tomioka Plant in the city of Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture.
03Launches
Launch site
Launches are planned from Spaceport Kii in Kushimoto, Wakayama, Japan, a dedicated launch site built by Shimizu Corporation. This spaceport is accessible from Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) via Nanki-Shirahama Airport in approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, and from Kansai International Airport in approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
First launch
The first launch was planned on 9 March 2024 but was postponed because a ship was spotted in the "maritime warning area" set up in waters near the launch pad. The launch eventually took place on 13 March 2024, but the vehicle exploded five seconds after liftoff. The remains of the rocket and payload fell close to the launch pad, but no substantial damage was found. Space One announced several hours later that the autonomous flight termination system could have activated and ended the mission. On 25 August 2024, the company's director confirmed that a destruct command was issued on the rocket. The AFTS detected a speed and level of thrust on the first stage that was lower than was modeled. Because this was the first rocket launch in Japan that used a flight safety system capable of intervening in a launch without human involvement, the destruct criteria were set to be particularly conservative.
Second flight
The second flight took place on 18 December 2024, which was canceled because of a failed rocket shortly after launch. The mission was planned to carry five satellites, including four CubeSats and one microsatellite. These satellites include payloads developed by Taiwan Space Agency, Space Cubics LLC, Terra Space Inc. and Lagrapo, as well as an additional satellite owned by an unnamed customer. The rocket began tumbling during first stage burn. The flight was terminated some time after.
Third flight
The third flight of KAIROS took place on March 4, 2026, lifting off from Spaceport Kii at 9:10pm but was also unsuccessful with flight termination measures being implemented at around 70 seconds after liftoff. With this third failure the commercial viability of Space One was thrown into doubt as Japan seeks to increase its domestic launch industry.
04List of launches
| Flight | Date (UTC) | Payload(s) | Outcome | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 March 2024, 02:01:12 | Rapid Launch Small Satellite | Failure | Vehicle automatically destroyed by its Flight Termination System at T+5 seconds, owing to lower vehicle thrust and speed than intended. |
| 2 | 18 December 2024, 02:00:00 | TATARA-1 PARUS-T1A SC-Sat1 ISHIKI |
Failure | Carried four CubeSats and one microsatellite. Rocket tumbling was observed at T+95 seconds. Vehicle lost attitude control around the time of first stage separation. |
| 3 | 5 March 2026, 02:10:00 | TATARA-1R SC-Sat1a HErO AETS-1 Nutsat-3 |
Failure | Carried four CubeSats and a microsatellite. At three minutes into the flight at an altitude of 100 kilometers the flight termination system engaged due to performance anomalies. |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Space One KAIROS”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- カイロスロケット.png by Takagi9640, CC0
- CKT20111-C18-16 IHI Aerospace Tomioka Plant.jpg by Geospatial Information Authority of Japan Retouch: Qurren (talk), CC BY 4.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
