Spaceport Kii

Spaceport Kii is a commercial spaceport located in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture in Japan. Japan's first private spaceport, it is operated by Space One, who are using it to launch their solid-fuel rocket KAIROS. As of 17 December 2024, two launch attempts have been made on the site, on 13 March and 17 December respectively, which both ended up being a failure.

Location and construction

Spaceport Kii is located near the southernmost tip of Honshu and is only a two-minute drive from Kii-Uragami Station in Nachikatsuura.
The launch site was funded by several Japanese corporations, including Canon Inc., Shimizu Corporation, and IHI Corporation. Ground broke on 19 November 2019.

Launches

The first launch attempt of the KAIROS rocket was scheduled on 8 March 2024, however it was delayed to the 13th due to a ship in too close of proximity. It launched on the 13th, but disintegrated just seconds later.
The second launch of KAIROS was initially scheduled for 14 December 2024, but was ultimately scrubbed twice to 18 Dec due to bad weather. The 2nd launch had a successful liftoff, but ultimately suffered a loss of control nearing the end of the first-stage burn and was terminated.
Space One has stated that it plans to have around 20 launches of KAIROS a year.