Watch: Japan rocket site gutted in fire, test halted

Japan's space agency has suspended an engine combustion test for its Epsilon S rocket after a fire broke out at the site on Tuesday. There are no reports of injuries so far.

The incident occurred at the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, with footages showing flames erupting shortly after the test began, followed by an explosion.


Local police and fire departments confirmed the situation is under investigation.

The Epsilon S rocket, part of Japan's small rocket development program, is being developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) in collaboration with IHI Corp's aerospace unit as a next-generation model of the Epsilon series.

Epsilon S rocket was set to make its debut flight by the end of the current fiscal year in March. The Epsilon S, part of Japan's effort to develop cost-competitive small rockets, has faced delays, including a previous engine test failure 16 months ago.

Jaxa's flagship H3 rocket, developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, also faced a failure during its first launch last year but has since completed three successful missions, including launches for Japanese satellites and international customers like the French satellite company Eutelsat.