A massive fire broke out at a Japan Space Agency site Tuesday as it tested a solid-fuel Epsilon S rocket, television footage showed.
There were no reports of injuries in the incident, which occurred in the remote Kagoshima region of southern Japan.
Tall balls of fire and white smoke rose from the Tanegashima space center, according to footage from national broadcaster NHK.
“There was an abnormality during today’s combustion test. We are trying to assess what happened,” the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) told AFP in a statement.
“No injuries have been reported at this time. The cause is also being investigated.”
NHK says the fire started during a combustion test that began around 8:30 a.m. (2330 GMT), with media stationed about 600 meters (yards) away.
NHK said that about 30 seconds later, a large explosion was heard and something resembling fire flew toward the sea.
Sankei Shimbun reported that orange flames erupted from the rocket engine mounted on a horizontal platform before the explosion.
Tuesday’s fire is not the first time JAXA has faced setbacks in its rocket programs.
In July 2023, an engine of an Epsilon S exploded during testing approximately 50 seconds after ignition.
It was one of a series of failures for the country’s space agency JAXA, including launch attempts for its next-generation H3 rocket.
JAXA conducted a successful blast in February this year for its new flagship rocket, the H3, which is pitched as a rival to SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
Japan then successfully landed an unmanned probe on the Moon in January – albeit at an oblique angle – making it the fifth country to achieve a “soft landing” on the Moon’s surface.
In March a rocket made by a private Japanese company exploded seconds after launch.
Tokyo-based Space One’s 18-meter (60-foot) Kairos rocket lifted off carrying a small government test satellite over the coastal Wakayama region of western Japan.
But about five seconds later, the solid-fuel rocket burst into flames, sending white smoke billowing across the remote mountainous area and orange flames rising to the ground, live footage showed.
As the sprinklers began spraying water, burning debris fell onto the surrounding slopes, a dramatic scene witnessed by hundreds of spectators at public viewing areas, including the nearby coast.
Space One said at the time that it had decided to “cancel the flight” and that the details were being investigated.
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