- Daniels throw five TDs as Commanders down Eagles
- Atalanta fight back to take top spot in Serie A, Roma hit five
- Mancini admits regrets over leaving Italy for Saudi Arabia
- Run machine Ayub shines as Pakistan sweep South Africa
- Slovak PM Fico on surprise visit to Kremlin
- Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 35
- 'Incredible' Liverpool must stay focused: Slot
- Maresca 'absolutely happy' as title-chasing Chelsea drop points in Everton draw
- Salah happy wherever career ends after inspiring Liverpool rout
- Three and easy as Dortmund move into Bundesliga top six
- Liverpool hit Spurs for six, Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth
- Netanyahu vows to act with 'force, determination' against Yemen's Huthis
- Mbappe back from 'bottom' as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- Ali hat-trick helps champions Ahly crush Belouizdad
- France kept on tenterhooks over new government
- Salah stars as rampant Liverpool hit Spurs for six
- Syria's new leader says all weapons to come under 'state control'
- 'Sonic 3' zips to top of N.America box office
- Rome's Trevi Fountain reopens to limited crowds
- Mbappe strikes as Real Madrid down Sevilla
- 'Nervous' Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- Pope again condemns 'cruelty' of Israeli strikes on Gaza
- Lonely this Christmas: Vendee skippers in low-key celebrations on high seas
- Troubled Man Utd humiliated by Bournemouth
- 2 US pilots shot down over Red Sea in 'friendly fire' incident: military
- Man Utd embarrassed by Bournemouth, Chelsea held at Everton
- France awaits fourth government of the year
- Germany pledges security inquest into Christmas market attack
- Death toll in Brazil bus crash rises to 41
- Joshua bout only fight left for beaten Fury says promoter Hearn
- Odermatt stays hot to break Swiss World Cup wins record
- Neville says Rashford's career at Man Utd nearing 'inevitable ending'
- Syria's new leader vows not to negatively interfere in Lebanon
- Germany pledges security inquest after Christmas market attack
- Putin vows 'destruction' on Ukraine after Kazan drone attack
- Understated Usyk seeks recognition among boxing legends
- France awaits appointment of new government
- Cyclone Chido death toll rises to 94 in Mozambique
- Stokes out of England's Champions Trophy squad
- Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 28
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- 'Finally, we made it!': Ho Chi Minh City celebrates first metro
- Angry questions in Germany after Christmas market attack
- China's Zheng pulls out of season-opening United Cup
- Minorities fear targeted attacks in post-revolution Bangladesh
- Tatum's 43-point triple-double propels Celtics over Bulls
- Tunisia women herb harvesters struggle with drought and heat
- Trump threatens to take back control of Panama Canal
- India's architecture fans guard Mumbai's Art Deco past
- Secretive game developer codes hit 'Balatro' in Canadian prairie province
Japanese startup's space rocket launch fails
A space rocket built by a Japanese startup blasted off on Wednesday but was later seen spiralling downwards in the distance as the company said the launch had to be terminated.
It was the second attempt by Space One to become Japan's first private firm to put a satellite into orbit after an initial try in March ended in a mid-air explosion.
Companies such as Space One want to offer cheaper and more frequent space exploration opportunities than governments.
The startup is hoping to establish a satellite-launching service to tap into expanding global demand -- emulating Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has contracts with NASA and the Pentagon.
"We do not regard this event as a failure," Space One president Masakazu Toyoda told reporters.
"We believe that the data and experience gained... is extremely valuable and we think they will be useful for the next challenge," he said.
Company director Mamoru Endo said a glitch 80 seconds after lift-off had affected the altitude of the solid-fuel Kairos rocket.
"Our data shows that the rocket was flying in a western direction instead of the originally planned southern direction," Endo said, and it was not able to get the rocket back on course.
Space One said it hopes to launch a third Kairos rocket as soon as possible but did not give specific dates.
Spectators, gathered near the company's coastal Spaceport Kii launch pad in Japan's rural western Wakayama region, expressed their disappointment to television cameras.
"I'm so shocked," one woman said after the firm announced the failure. "I had been hoping it would go into orbit."
- Flight terminated -
News programmes showed the slim, white 18-metre (60-foot) rocket soaring far into the sky before its dizzy descent.
There was no dramatic explosion -- unlike in March when the first Kairos rocket, carrying a small government test satellite, was ordered to self-destruct due to technical problems just seconds after launch.
The latest rocket on Wednesday was carrying five satellites, including one from the Taiwan Space Agency and others designed by Japanese students and corporate ventures.
Space One, which was still investigating details of the failure, said earlier that "Kairos was launched... but the rocket terminated its flight after judging that the achievement of its mission would be difficult".
Space One was founded in 2018 by businesses including Canon Electronics, IHI Aerospace, construction firm Shimizu and the government-run Development Bank of Japan.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is also on a mission to become a major player for satellite launches.
JAXA's next-generation H3 launch system had experienced multiple failed take-off attempts before a successful blast-off in February.
However, JAXA had to delay the launch of a compact, solid-fuel Epsilon S rocket after a recent engine test resulted in a large fire.
J.Williams--AMWN