Japan's Space One terminated the flight of its Kairos small rocket shortly after liftoff on Wednesday, marking the end of its second attempt in nine months to become the country's first company to deliver a satellite to space with a privately-developed rocket.

A Japanese space startup said its second attempt to launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit had been aborted minutes after liftoff Wednesday, nine months after the company’s first launch attempt ended in an explosion.

A Japanese space startup's attempt to launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit was aborted minutes after liftoff on Wednesday. This was Tokyo-based Space One's second attempt to launch the Kairos small rocket.