 Keros, a small, solid-fuel rocket made by Japan's Space One, exploded shortly after its inaugural launch on Wednesday as the firm tried to become the first Japanese company to put a satellite in orbit. Seconds later the solid-fueled rocket exploded in flames, sending smoke billowing into the remote mountainous area, live footage showed. The launch of the first Keros rocket was executed, but we took a measure to abort the flight, Space One said in a statement, adding that, details are being investigated, burning debris fell onto the surrounding slopes as sprinklers began spraying water. Hundreds of spectators had gathered at public viewing areas including a nearby waterfront. I had high hopes for this, so I'm disappointed. I want to know what happened, one elderly man told public broadcaster NHK, the plan had been for Keros, an ancient Greek word meaning the right moment, to put the satellite into orbit about 51 minutes after takeoff. Part shortages and other problems had reportedly led Space One to postpone the launch of Keros five times. Japan's main space exploration effort is led by the government's NASA, which stands for the National Space Development Agency of Japan. US Stratolaunch company has achieved a significant milestone by conducting a captive carry flight with the first powered Telone hypersonic vehicle, TA-1, under its rock mothership. According to the company's press release, this successful flight marks a momentous step towards the company's objective of executing a powered flight with the Telone vehicle. It was a great day for the Stratolaunch team. I am extremely proud of their perseverance to reach this point, company president Zachary Krever said in a statement. While I can't share the specific altitude in speed TA-1 reached. We reached high supersonic speeds approaching Mach 5 and collected a great amount of data at an incredible value to our customers, he said. Defense contractors hope to capitalize on the shift to hypersonic weapons not only by building them but also by developing new systems to detect and defend against them, Stratolaunch hopes to complete development of the reusable Telone this year. Primary objectives for the flight test included accomplishing safe air launch release of the TA-1 vehicle, engine ignition, acceleration, sustained climate altitude, and a controlled water landing. The statement said the US and its global rivals are speeding up work on hypersonic weapons, which travel in the upper atmosphere at more than five times the speed of sound. Concurrently, Stratolaunch is advancing with the production of TA-2 and TA-3 vehicles, envisioned as the initial fully reusable units in the Telone product line. These developments align with the company's commitment to driving forward the innovation and progress of hypersonic technology. NATO forces present in Ukraine is not unthinkable, Polish foreign minister. Foreign minister Radislav Sikoski didn't exclude the potential presence of NATO troops in Ukraine. The comments came after French president Emmanuel Macron recently said that sending Western troops to Ukraine cannot be ruled out in the future. The US and many European allies have distanced themselves from Macron's statement. The presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not unthinkable. Sikoski noted saying he had appreciated Macron's initiative because it is about Russian president Vladimir Putin being afraid, not us being afraid of Putin. The Polish minister added, Sikoski said Ukraine's allies had had to return to the original role of NATO, calling Russia a country that cannot live in peace with its neighbors and share their values despite the West's repeated encouragement. French defense minister Sebastien Lekornou said that while the deployment of combat troops was not currently being discussed, there was the possibility that Paris would send military personnel to Ukraine to train Ukrainian troops or participate in mine-clearing operations. Discussions about NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine need to end because nobody actually wants that to happen. German defense minister Boris Pistorius said. Pistorius argued that what the West needs to do instead is ramp up the delivery of ammunition and equipment to the Ukrainian military. Earlier Canadian defense minister Bill Blair also said Ottawa was ready to send a limited number of military personnel to Ukraine but in a clear non-combat role. During a two-hour state-of-the-nation address, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened tragic consequences if NATO troops were sent to Ukraine claiming the West's support for Kiev risks a conflict using nuclear weapons. Russia has repeatedly warned the US and its allies that deliveries of weapons to Ukraine will not prevent Moscow from achieving the goals of its military operation and will only serve to prolong the fighting and increase the risk of a direct confrontation with NATO.