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Space One hopes the third time will be the charm for the Kairos rocket.
Founded in 2018, Space One aims to become a major player in the small satellite launch industry. The company wants to launch 20 missions per year by the end of the decade and 30 per year in the 2030s.
Space One is the first rocket is the 59-foot-tall (18-meter) Kairos, which consists of three solid-fuel stages topped by a liquid-fuel upper stage. Kairos can deliver up to 330 pounds (150 kilograms) of payload to sun-synchronous orbit, according to Space One.
Kairos has launched twice to date, encountering serious problems on each occasion.
Kairos’ debut flight in March 2024 just ended five seconds after the lift when the rocket’s flight termination system detected a lower speed and thrust than expected.
The second launch, in December 2024, lasted longer, but also met an explosive end. Space One ended the mission about three minutes into flight, at an altitude of about 100 kilometers, after detecting performance anomalies. Five satellites was lost.
Five small spaceships will also go up on today’s flight. If all goes according to plan, they will be deployed about 50 minutes after launch at an altitude of 310 miles (500 kilometers), according to Japanese outlet NHK.
