Japan attempted to launch a rocket in order to send a satellite into orbit after 51 minutes.
As part of Japan's attempt to take the lead in the global space race, the satellite would gather information for the Japanese government, including potential rocket threats from North Korea.
Around 11 am, hundreds of locals gathered in Kushimoto, a town of 15,000 residents, to watch the launch of solid-fuel Kairos.
However, seconds after blast-off, the 18-metre, 23-ton rocket exploded, engulfing it in flames and spreading debris all over the ground below.
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Smoke rapidly filled the remote, mountainous area of west Japan.
Space One, the company behind the rocket, commented on the unsuccessful launch: 'The launch of the first Kairos rocket was executed, but we took a measure to abort the flight.' The company added that 'details are being investigated.'
According to Space One's president Masakazu Toyoda: 'We are taking what happened in a positive way and remain prepared to take up the next challenge.'
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The blast was triggered by the Tokyo start-up company after a fault was spotted in the rocket. The fault was noticed in step two, with step one being lift-off.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries and the rocket was unmanned.
One elderly local expressed his disappointment, saying: 'I had high hopes for this, so I'm disappointed. I want to know what happened.'
The mayor of Kushimoto stated: 'I didn’t even imagine an outcome like this. But the town will continue to support Space One, and we want to continue to offer our help so that the first rocket will have a successful launch.'
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The governor of the Wakayama Prefecture pointed out that the rocket had autonomously 'executed the abort command after detecting trouble.'
Staying optimistic, however, hr said that the attempt was 'a big step forward.'
'It’s different from an uncontrollable explosion, so I’m a bit relieved,' the governor added.
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Space One was established in 2018 in a collaboration among major Japanese tech businesses, including Canon Electronics, IHI Aerospace, construction firm Shimizu and the Development Bank of Japan.
Japan faced a similar setback in its last rocket launch attempt back in July last year when the solid-fuel Epsilon S rocket exploded during a test approximately 50 seconds after ignition.