Japan startup's launch of compact rocket fails due to engine problem

A Japanese aerospace startup's launch of a compact rocket failed Sunday morning in Hokkaido due to an engine problem, the company said, in the latest setback for a project that has suffered a series of delays partly due to the coronavirus pandemic.Interstellar Technologies Inc.'s MOMO-5 rocket fell into the sea without reaching space. Ground control shut the engine down 70 seconds after liftoff from the town of Taiki in Japan's northernmost prefecture around 5:15 a.m., it said.Part of the engine was damaged during the launch and the fuselage could no longer maintain its orientation, the com…READ FULL ARTICLE