Japanese startup's rocket launch fails due to engine problems

One minute after Interstellar Technologies launched their Momo-5 rocket from a site in the town of Taiki on Sunday morning, the rocket's engine made an emergency stop and the rocket fell into the sea, reported Japan's national broadcaster NHK.

Interstellar Technologies is based in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, its preliminary analysis shows the rocket reached an altitude of about 11 kilometers. Footage shows the craft tilting during the ascent before falling toward the sea.

Part of the engine was damaged during the launch and the fuselage could no longer maintain its orientation, said the company.

The Momo-5, measuring about 10 meters in length, 50 centimeters in diameter and weighing one ton, was expected to test a navigation sensor for use in a satellite-carrying rocket the company is currently developing.

Interstellar Technologies became the first private Japanese company to send a rocket to the edge of space, about 100 kilometers above the Earth in May last year. It postponed the launch of the Momo-5 in January due to trouble with its communication equipment, according to Japan's national daily the Mainichi.

"It was a disappointing result, but there were no major problems except for the damaged part. We would like to take necessary steps toward the next (launch)," said Takahiro Inagawa, president of the company in an online news conference.

(Cover image: Screenshot of NHK World channel's footage of the rocket launch.)