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A $2.7 million rocket developed by a maverick Japanese entrepreneur exploded shortly after liftoff on Saturday.
Interstellar Technologies, founded by popular internet service provider Livedoor's creator Takafumi Horie, launched the unmanned rocket, MOMO-2, at around 5:30 am (2030 GMT Friday) from a test site in Taiki, southern Hokkaido.
The rocket crash was a major blow to the convicted fraudster's bid to send Japan's first privately backed rocket into space. His first MOMO rocket launch last year also ended in failure.