A private Japanese rocket crashes on the ground during a blazing launch failure

A Japanese private rocket crashed on Earth in a violent explosion on Saturday, June 30, a few moments after leaving a test site near the town of Taiki, on the island of Hokkaido, north of Japan

. Attempt for start-up Interstellar Technologies, which became the first Japanese company to launch a private space rocket 11 months ago, on July 30, 2017. Its first rocket, Momo-1, sank in # The ocean after losing contact with air traffic controllers. Seconds after takeoff, reports The Japan Times.

His second mission, Momo-2, took place with more brilliance. After taking off at 5:30 am local time on June 30 (8:30 pm GMT, June 29), the unstuck rocket had barely left the launch pad before losing its upward thrust and succumbed to gravity, before falling back on the ramps less than 10 seconds of flight. [Why Do Rockets Explode?]

Interstellar Technologies chairman Takahiro Inagawa told reporters that Momo-2 had lost 4 seconds after takeoff and that a problem with the main engine of the rocket was likely, according to The Japan Times. The rocket was originally scheduled to be launched in April, but the mission was delayed when engineers discovered a leak of nitrogen.

"We have never seen a failure like this," said Takafumi Horie, founder of Interstellar Technologies. Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun. "We are thinking about what we can do to maintain a connection with the next step, even if the future remains barely visible."

Asahi Shimbun reported that the accident caused no injury. However, employees who were monitoring the launch about a third of a mile (0.6 km) from the platform were ordered to evacuate after the blast.

The Momo rocket is a small launcher designed to reduce satellite launch costs. It is 33 feet (10 meters) long and weighs about 1 metric ton. In contrast, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is about as large as seven Momo rockets and weighs more than 540 tonnes. However, a Momo rocket launch costs only $ 440,000, compared to the $ 50 million it costs to launch a Falcon 9.

Interstellar Technologies, founded in 2003, hopes to launch small satellites in orbit. By 2020. A second launch The failure could force the company to push back this goal, Inagawa remained optimistic.

"We could not do what we were supposed to do, I'm sorry for that," Inagawa said at a press conference. "I think I would like to continue giving a shot."

Email Hanneke Weitering at [email protected] or follow her @hannekescience . Follow us on Facebook and Google+ . The original article on Space.com .