Space One's Kairos exploded midair within seconds of its launch. The rocket was carrying a government satellite intended to temporarily replace intelligence satellites. Japanese company Space One's first attempt to make the country a contender in satellite launches ended in fire, smoke and debris after the Kairos rocket exploded shortly after its launch on Wednesday. Tokyo-based Space One's Kairos was Japan's first private-sector rocket to be launched. The 18-meter (59-foot) solid-fuel rocket blasted off from the company's own launch pad in the Wakayama region of western Japan at 11:01 a.m. (0201 GMT). Local media livestreams showed the rocket exploding midair within seconds of its launch. Hundreds of spectators had also gathered nearby to watch the launch. According to Shuhei Kishimoto, the governor of the local government, there were no injuries near the launch pad, and the fire has been extinguished. Company investigating cause The rocket was carrying a government satellite intended to temporarily replace intelligence satellites if needed. Space One said in a statement that following the launch of the first Kairos rocket, they took "a measure to abort the flight." The company further added that "details are being investigated." Katsumasa Tashima, the mayor of Kushimoto, a town in Wakayama, said he was disappointed but added that the town would support Space One and "continue to offer our help so that the first rocket will have a successful launch." Earlier, the company had to delay the inaugural launch window of Kairos — derived from an ancient Greek word meaning "the right moment" — four times, most recently on Saturday. Japan's aerospace industry scrambling to capture share of market The launch's failure is a setback for Space One, founded in 2018 by a Japanese consortium including Canon Electronics, IHI Aerospace, construction firm Shimizu and the government-owned Development Bank of Japan. Despite the explosion, Space One plans to continue its mission to provide "space courier services," with an aim to launch 20 rockets a year by the late 2020s, its president Masakazu Toyoda said. Last month, Japan's space agency JAXA successfully launched its new cost-efficient flagship rocket, the H3. This launch was also plagued with delays and two failed attempts. Although relatively small, Japan's aerospace industry is working hard to develop less expensive rockets, aiming to meet the growing demand for satellite launches from both the government and international customers.  

Japan's space agency, JAXA, successfully launched its next-generation H3 rocket into orbit after facing some initial setbacks. Japan successfully launched its next-generation H3 rocket Saturday, almost one year after  two failed attempts previously. The country's space agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), said the rocket's initial flight has been smooth as planned. The H3 rocket launched from Tanegashima Space Center at 9:22 am local time (0022 GMT). The announcement of the rocket's successful orbit was met with cheers throughout the space agency's control center. The rocket has released all its payloads, which includes two microsatellites, the space agency said. "We feel so relieved to be able to announce the good results," JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa told a news conference. "We made a big first step today toward achieving that goal," Yamakawa said. Overcoming earlier failed launches Saturday's launch comes two days later than planned due to weather-related delays.  Last year in February, the launch was abandoned due to ignition issues. Then the following month, the launcher's engine did not ignite in space and a destruct command had to be issued. JAXA president Hiroshi Yamakawa saying that he was happy and "never felt so relieved." Jointly built by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), the rocket is designed to carry heavier payloads for cheaper to space.  The next-generation H3 is seen as a cost-effective competitor to Space X's Falcon 9. "The H3 rocket has a unique and novel first-stage engine that delivers greater thrust compared to state-of-the-art rockets," Michele Trenti, director of the Melbourne Space Laboratory at the University of Melbourne, said.   Japan on the space race map The latest success bolsters Japan's credentials as the global space race heats up. In 2025, the H3 rocket is slated to deliver a lunar explorer for the joint Japan-India LUPEX project and, at a future date, will carry a cargo spacecraft for the U.S.-led Artemis moon exploration program. Japan successfully landed its SLIM spacecraft, nicknamed the "Moon Sniper," on the lunar surface last month although its solar panels being misaligned.

Israeli military said one of its northern positions was attacked with anti-tank fire from Lebanon on Wednesday and that "in response to the anti-tank missiles that were launched at... soldiers a short while ago, the IDF (army) is currently striking in Lebanese territory." The military did not provide details on casualties or who might have been responsible. The Islamist terror organization Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for firing on the Israeli position. The attack took place near the Israeli town of Arab al-Aramshe, opposite the Lebanese village of Dahaira, the Israeli military statement said. The state-run Lebanon's National News Agency reported that Israeli artillery later shelled Dahaira.

This time it was the wind that scuppered launch attempts after two previous postponements. No new launch date has been set. It was halted less than 30 minutes before it was scheduled to take place. Japan's space agency on Monday postponed the launch of its "Moon Sniper" lunar mission due to poor weather, making it the third postponement for the mission. The H2-A rocket was also carrying a research satellite developed with NASA and the European Space Agency. It was meant to launch from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan at 9:26 a.m. local time (0026 GMT) on Monday. The launch was postponed less than 30 minutes before it was scheduled to take place. Operator Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) said the mission was called off "because it was confirmed that the upper wind does not satisfy the constraints at launch". Latest lunar mission attempt Japan had attempted last year to launch a lunar mission named Omotenashi, which was carried on NASA's Artemis 1. The mission was nevertheless unsuccessful after communications were lost. In April this year, Japanese start-up ispace also took a chance to become the first private company to land on the moon, yet it also failed. JAXA aims to land the "Moon Sniper" within 100 meters (330 feet) of a specific target on the moon. This is far less than the normal range of several kilometers. Last week, India's low-cost space program succeeded in landing a mission near the moon's south pole. Only the United States, Russia and China had previously managed to place a spacecraft on the lunar surface. None had managed to do that on the moon's south pole.

In a giant leap towards creating a strong rocket force to tackle the threat from the northern borders, Indian defence forces are set to place orders for two more units of the Pralay ballistic missiles at the cost of over Rs 7,500 crore. The move comes after the Defence Ministry in December last year cleared one unit of these missiles for the Indian Air Force. "Two more units of the Pralay ballistic missiles are going to be acquired for the defence forces, which are on their way towards creating a Rocket force including assets of all three forces," Defence sources told. The proposal for the acquisition of these missiles for ground forces is at an advanced stage and is expected to be cleared soon, they said. The Pralay ballistic missiles can take out targets at 150 to 500 kms and are extremely difficult to intercept for the enemy through interceptor missiles. Work is also on to increase the range of these missiles by another few hundred kilometres to give a stronger capability to forces, the sources said. Both China and Pakistan have ballistic missiles which are for tactical roles. The missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation is being further developed, the sources said. The missile system started getting development around 2015 and the development of such a capability was given a push by the late Gen Bipin Rawat as Chief of Army Staff. The missile was successfully tested twice on consecutive days last year on December 21 and December 22 in 2021. A quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile, 'Pralay' has been developed in a way to be able to defeat interceptor missiles. It has the ability to change its path after covering a certain range in midair. 'Pralay' is powered by a solid propellant rocket motor and other new technologies. The missile guidance system includes state-of-the-art navigation and integrated avionics. The missile would be first inducted into the Indian Air Force and would be followed by the Indian Army.

The Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas operations in retaliation for rocket strikes. The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon has called for restraint from all sides. Israel launched strikes in southern Lebanon early on Friday morning while continuing to hit targets in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said. The strikes came after militants from Lebanon fired nearly three dozen rockets at Israel on Thursday. Additionally, rockets were fired from Gaza toward southern Israel early Friday morning, following the Israeli attacks there. Clashes have been escalating this week, after Israeli police raids at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem. With the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the week-long Jewish holiday of Passover coinciding again this year, the cross-border attacks have come at a delicate time. The mosque compound, which is the third-holiest site in Islam, is built on the most sacred site in Judaism, the Temple Mount. Two years ago, claims over an Israeli police operation at Al-Aqsa led to 11 days of open conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.  Israel says it was targeting Hamas installations in Lebanon The Israeli military on Friday said the strikes targeted installations belonging to the militant group Hamas in the south of Lebanon. Local media reported blasts in the Lebanese port city of Tyre. The US, EU, Japan and several other nations have classified Hamas as a terrorist organization. Following a meeting with his Security Cabinet late on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "Israel's response, tonight and beyond, will extract a heavy price from our enemies." Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his country "categorically rejects any military escalation." In response to the strikes, Hamas said they "strongly" condemned "aggression against Lebanon in the vicinity of Tyre at dawn today." Neither Lebanon nor Israel wants war, says UN Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon urged calm on Friday. The UN peacekeepers — deployed in southern Lebanon to provide a buffer between the two countries — called on "all parties to cease all actions" on both sides of the border. The latest flare up of rocket fire between Lebanese territory and Israel is one of the largest escalations of violence along the border since Israeli forces and paramilitary forces allied with the Lebanon-based organization, Hezbollah, fought a 34-day war in 2006. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also called on "all parties" to lower tensions while also condemning the rocket attacks on Israel. "The UK condemns the indiscriminate rocket attacks from southern Lebanon and Gaza and recognizes Israel’s right to self-defense. Now is the time for all parties across the region to de-escalate tensions," Cleverly said in a statement issued by his office. Britain's top diplomat also called for "places of worship to be respected" and condemned "Israeli police violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque," and said that security operations needed to be "proportionate and in accordance with international law."

An engine problem threatened to delay the launch on Monday of NASA's most powerful rocket yet on an uncrewed test flight to take humans back to the Moon and eventually to Mars. Blastoff, which had been planned for 8:33 am (1233 GMT), was put on hold because of a temperature issue with one of the four engines on the 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the US space agency said. Tens of thousands of people -- including US Vice President Kamala Harris -- have gathered along the beach near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to watch the launch, which comes 50 years after Apollo 17 astronauts last set foot on the Moon. The goal of the flight, dubbed Artemis 1, is to test the SLS and the Orion crew capsule that sits atop the rocket. Mannequins equipped with sensors are standing in for a crew for the mission. Overnight operations to fill the rocket with more than three million liters of ultra-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen were briefly delayed by a high risk of lightning, though it was a "go" after an hour.  Around 3:00 am, another hiccup emerged: a potential leak was detected during the filling of the main stage with hydrogen, causing a pause.  After tests, the flow resumed. "The leak is at an acceptable level and we have returned to fast fill operations," NASA tweeted.  But NASA engineers later detected a problem with the temperature in one of the four engines and put a hold on the countdown. NASA has a two-hour window Monday in which to carry out the launch. The massive orange-and-white rocket, which has been sitting on the space center's Launch Complex 39B for more than a week, is not able to take off in case of rains and storms.  If Monday's launch is scrubbed, September 2 and 5 have been penciled in as alternative flight dates. The rocket's Orion capsule is set to orbit the Moon to see if the vessel is safe for people in the near future. At some point, Artemis aims to put a woman and a person of color on the Moon for the first time. "This mission goes with a lot of hopes and dreams of a lot of people. And we now are the Artemis generation," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. In another first, a woman -- Charlie Blackwell-Thompson -- will give the final green light for liftoff.  Women now account for 30 percent of the control room staff, compared to one for the Apollo 11 mission -- the first time astronauts landed on the moon in 1969. - Extreme temperatures - During the 42-day trip, the Orion capsule will orbit the Moon, coming within 60 miles (100 kilometers) at its closest approach, and then fire its engines to shoot out 40,000 miles -- a record for a spacecraft rated to carry humans. One of the mission's primary objectives is to test the capsule's heat shield, which at 16 feet in diameter is the largest ever built. On its return to Earth's atmosphere, the heat shield will have to withstand a speed of 25,000 miles per hour and a temperature of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius) -- or half as hot as the Sun. The dummies aboard the spacecraft will record acceleration, vibration and radiation levels. The craft will deploy small satellites to study the lunar surface. A complete failure would be devastating for a program costing $4.1 billion per launch that is already years behind schedule. - Life on the Moon - Monday's launch is "not a near-term sprint, but a long-term marathon to bring the solar system and beyond into our sphere," said Bhavya Lal, NASA associate administrator for technology, policy and strategy. The next mission, Artemis 2, will take astronauts into orbit around the Moon without landing on its surface. The crew of Artemis 3 is to land on the Moon in 2025 at the earliest. And since humans have already visited the Moon, Artemis has its sights set on another lofty goal: a crewed mission to Mars. The Artemis program is to establish a lasting human presence on the Moon with an orbiting space station known as Gateway and a base on the surface. Gateway would serve as a staging and refueling station for a voyage to Mars that would take a minimum of several months. Source: AFP/BSS AH

President Joe Biden on Tuesday confirmed the United States will send more advanced rocket systems to Ukraine with ability to strike what he called "key targets" of Russia's invasion force. "We will provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable them to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine," Biden wrote in The New York Times. A US official told reporters that the weapons being sent are Himars, or the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. With precision-guided munitions and a longer range than weapons currently deployed by Ukraine, the multiple rocket launchers represent an important upgrade at a time when the Ukrainians are battling Russian artillery in the east of the country. The Himars rockets "will enable the Ukrainians to more precisely strike targets on the battlefield from greater distance inside Ukraine and to help them repel Russia," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "These systems will be used by the Ukrainians to repel Russian advances on Ukrainian territory but they will not be used against Russia." The Himars are the centerpiece of a $700 million package being unveiled Wednesday, also including air surveillance radars, more Javelin short-range anti-tank rockets, more artillery ammunition, helicopters, vehicles and spare parts, the official said. Although there'd been speculation for days that Himars were going -- following repeated pleas from Ukraine's outgunned military -- the announcement also made clear the US attempt to help Kyiv's war effort while not being seen as a direct belligerent. For that reason, the ammunition for the Himars will not include a version able to reach some 186 miles (300 kilometers), out of fear that the Ukrainians would use it to hit deep inside Russia. They will instead get the version extending about 50 miles (80 km), which is still significantly further than the Ukrainians' present capabilities, the US official said. That means Ukraine's forces will be able to strike at Russian positions with the rockets from relative safety. The "Ukrainians have given assurances they will not use these systems against Russian territory," the official stressed. The new weaponry will come from a recently approved fund of $40 billion. Already the Biden administration has sent $4.5 billion in mostly military aid to Ukraine since the war began with Russia's February invasion. Asked what the United States considers the war aim for Ukraine, the official said it was to put Kyiv "in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table." While the United States does not want to "prolong the war," it considers it vital that Russia "pay a heavy price for its actions" or it will "send a message to other would-be aggressors that they can take a territory by force," the official said. "We will not pressure the Ukrainian government in private or in public to make any territorial concessions," the official said. Source: AFP/BSS AH

The first astronauts for China’s new space station blasted off Thursday for the country’s longest crewed mission to date, a landmark step in establishing Beijing as a major space power. The trio launched on a Long March-2F rocket for the Tiangong station, where they will spend three months, in a much-anticipated blast-off broadcast live on state TV. Lift-off happened at 9:22 am (0122 GMT) from the Jiuquan launch centre in northwest China’s Gobi desert, with the rocket rising in clouds of smoke against a blue sky. After about 10 minutes it reached orbit and the space craft separated from the rocket, to loud applause in the control room among rows of blue-suited engineers. State broadcaster CCTV showed a live feed from inside the spacecraft, with the three astronauts lifting their helmet visors and one smiling and waving at the camera. Another floated a pen just off his lap in zero-gravity as he browsed the flight manual. Cameras outside the craft broadcast live images of the Earth below. “According to reports from the Beijing aerospace control centre, the Long March-2F rocket has sent the Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft to the preset orbit,” said Zhang Zhifen, director of the Jiuquan satellite launch centre. “The solar panels unfolded successfully and now we declare the Shenzhou-12 mission a complete success.” At a ceremony before blastoff, the three astronauts, already wearing their space suits, greeted a crowd of supporters. Space workers and their families had gathered for the ceremony and sang the patriotic song “Without the Chinese Communist Party, there would be no new China”, waving Chinese flags and flowers. The mission’s commander is Nie Haisheng, a decorated air force pilot in the People’s Liberation Army who has already participated in two space missions. The two other members are also members of the military. – Space life – Their Shenzhou-12 spacecraft will dock with the Tianhe main section of the space station, which was placed in orbit on April 29. The module has separate living spaces for each of them, a treadmill for exercise, and a communication centre for emails and video calls with ground control. It is China’s first crewed mission in nearly five years. The launch represents a matter of huge prestige in China, as Beijing prepares to mark the 100th anniversary of the ruling Communist Party on July 1 with a massive propaganda campaign. To prepare for the mission, the crew has undergone more than 6,000 hours of training, including hundreds of underwater somersaults in full space gear. The Chinese space agency is planing a total of 11 launches through to the end of next year, including three more manned missions which will deliver two lab modules to expand the 70-tonne station, and supplies and crew members. The first crew will test and maintain the systems onboard, conduct spacewalks and undertake scientific experiments. China’s space ambitions have been fuelled in part by a US ban on its astronauts on the International Space Station, a collaboration between the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan. It is due for retirement after 2024, even though NASA said it could potentially remain functional beyond 2028. Tiangong will be much smaller than the ISS, and is expected to have a lifespan of at least 10 years. Source: AFP/BSSA AH

Hamas militants have launched dozens of rockets at Israel after Israeli air strikes killed senior commanders and felled a multi-storey building in Gaza. The escalation of the fighting, which began on Monday, has prompted the UN to warn of a "full-scale war". The conflict has also triggered a wave of street violence in Israel between Jews and Israeli Arabs. Political leaders have appealed for calm. At least 67 people in Gaza and seven people in Israel have been killed. The fighting erupted on Monday after weeks of rising Israeli-Palestinian tension in East Jerusalem which culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by Muslims and Jews. For a second day, violence erupted in areas of Israel with mixed Jewish and Arab populations. More than 374 people were arrested and 36 officers were injured, Israeli police said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking late on Wednesday night, said he planned to send in military forces to help police maintain order in cities ruptured by violence. Netanyahu said the attacks in recent days amounted to "anarchy". "Nothing can justify an Arab mob assaulting Jews, and nothing can justify a Jewish mob assaulting Arabs," he said in a video statement, as reported by the Times of Israel. Palestinian militants have been firing rockets into Israel since Monday night, and Israel has responded by hitting targets in the territory. On Thursday morning, the IDF said about 1,500 rockets had been fired from Gaza into Israeli cities since hostilities escalated at the start of this week. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says that more than 400 people have been injured there since the conflict began, in addition to the 67 who have died. Netanyahu said the government would use all its strength to protect Israel from enemies on the outside and rioters on the inside. But the Palestinian Authority condemned Israel's "military aggression" in a tweet, saying it was "traumatising an already beleaguered population of two million people". Source: BBC AH