The Japanese startup’s second orbital launch attempt ends in failure as the Kairos Rocket self-destructs.

A Japanese startup’s second attempt to launch its solid-fuel rocket ended in chaos, with Kairos spiraling down just minutes after liftoff. The launch failure marks another setback for Japan’s private space industry after a series of explosive rocket attempts earlier this year.

Japan’s Space One launched its Kairos rocket on Wednesday from the company’s Spaceport Kii launch pad in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. The missile seemed to fly normally at first, but things soon began to go wrong. About two minutes after liftoff, Kairos seemed to lose attitude control, and began to kill his way. The rocket self-destructed after detecting abnormalities in the control of the first stage engine’s nozzles and the rocket’s trajectory, Space One director Mamoru Endo told reporters during a post-launch briefing , according to Reuters.

Kairos was carrying five small satellites from the Taiwan Space Agency, and Japanese companies Lagrapo, Space Cubics and Terra Space, as well as a fifth customer who wished to remain anonymous.

This is Space One’s second attempt to become Japan’s first commercial enterprise to independently place satellites in Earth’s orbit (Japan’s space agency, JAXA, has accomplished this feat several times, working with companies like and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries). The startup first tried to launch Kairos in Marchbut the launch vehicle exploded just seconds after clearing the tower in Wakayama prefecture. The rocket’s autonomous self-destruct system was activated due to anomalous flight parameters about five seconds after launch. Kairos was carrying an experimental satellite for the Japanese government.

U three-stage Kairos rifleequipped with solid fuel engines and a liquid fuel post-boost stage, it is designed to deliver payloads of up to 550 pounds (250 kilograms) to low Earth orbit. With its 59-foot-tall (18-meter) rocket, Space One hopes to compete with companies like SpaceX and Rocket Lab by delivering satellites to space both quickly and affordably. The company aims to launch 30 rockets a year by the 2030s, according to at Kyodo News. Space One might have to wait a little longer to reach that pace, which seems possible with Kairos, Rocket Lab’s Electron-like rocket.

“We do not consider this event a failure,” Space One President Masakazu Toyoda told reporters after the launch failure, according to AFP. “We believe that the data and experience gained … are extremely valuable and we think they will be useful for the next challenge.”

JAXA is also looking to compete in the new space age. Despite some failures of its own, JAXA launched his new H3 rocket on the second attempt in February. Japan’s Epsilon S rifle, on the other hand, explosions during a test in late November.