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       Space One Rocket Explodes Seconds After Launch in Japan

       The Japanese company hoped to become the country’s first private business to put a satellite into orbit. The failed launch was its inaugural flight.

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       Japanese Rocket Explodes After Liftoff

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       A plume of smoke rose over the launch site as the surrounding area caught fire.CreditCredit...Kyodo, via Reuters By Hisako Ueno and Yan Zhuang

       Hisako Ueno reported from Tokyo, and Yan Zhuang from Seoul.

       March 13, 2024Updated 4:01 a.m. ET

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       The first rocket launched by the Japanese start-up Space One exploded seconds after takeoff on Wednesday, denting its ambition to become the country’s first private company to put a satellite into orbit.

       The Kairos solid-fuel rocket launched just after 11 a.m. local time and burst into flames seconds later, livestreams of the launch showed. The explosion left behind a large plume of smoke and set off a fire in a nearby forest that firefighters later put out.

       The 60-foot-long rocket weighs 23 tons and was launched from Space Port Kii in Wakayama Prefecture on Japan’s main island, according to the company’s website.

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       Hisako Ueno has been reporting on Japanese politics, business, gender, labor and culture for The Times since 2012. She previously worked for the Tokyo bureau of The Los Angeles Times from 1999 to 2009. More about Hisako Ueno

       Yan Zhuang is a reporter in The New York Times's Australia bureau, based in Melbourne. More about Yan Zhuang

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