Overview
- SpaceOne called off the March 1 liftoff minutes before launch after determining upper-level winds around 10 kilometers were weaker than expected and could adversely affect the vehicle.
- Officials said the next attempt will be no earlier than March 4, with a reserve period through March 25 and a specific date still to be set.
- Kaïros 3 is a three-stage, solid-fuel rocket about 18 meters long and 23 tons, slated to launch from Spaceport Kii in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture.
- The mission carries five small satellites, including a Taiwanese payload and a Space Cubics technology demonstrator to validate a space-grade computer, with success marking a first for a Japanese private rocket placing private satellites in orbit.
- The postponement comes after the first Kaïros exploded shortly after liftoff in March 2024 and the second was terminated about three minutes into flight that December, as backers including Canon Electronics and IHI Aerospace support a long-term high-frequency launch plan.