Space One Rocket Explodes Seconds After Launch in Japan

The first rocket launched by the Japanese start-up Space One

seconds after takeoff on Wednesday, denting its ambition to become the country’s first private company to put a satellite into orbit.

The Kairos solid-fuel rocket launched just after 11 a.m. local time and burst into flames seconds later, livestreams of the launch showed. The explosion left behind a large plume of smoke and set off a fire in a nearby forest that firefighters later put out.

The 60-foot-long rocket weighs 23…