TOKYO – The launch of a compact rocket by a Japanese aerospace startup failed Sunday morning in Hokkaido, the company said.
Interstellar Technologies Inc.’s MOMO-5 rocket fell into the sea without reaching space after liftoff from the town of Taiki in Japan’s northernmost prefecture, it said.
The startup in May last year became the first private Japanese company to send a rocket to the edge of space, about 100 kilometers above the earth.
The MOMO-5, measuring about 10 meters in length, 50 centimeters in diameter and weighing 1 ton, was expected to test a navigation sensor for use in a satellite-carrying rocket the company is currently developing.
The firm, based in Taiki, had initially planned to launch the rocket in January but put it off due to a glitch in an electronic component.
In early May, it was forced to reschedule again after locals expressed concerns about coronavirus infections being imported to the town by people coming to watch the liftoff. The public was subsequently barred from watching the launch.
On Saturday, the company postponed the liftoff for a third time, putting it back by one day due to strong winds.
