Japan’s space agency has halted an engine combustion test of its Epsilon S rocket, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, after a fire broke out at the test site, 16 months after another failed engine test derailed Japan’s small rocket development.
Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed a blaze breaking out shortly after the ground combustion test started at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, with an explosion heard as well. No damage has been reported, NHK said, citing local police and fire departments.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is checking the situations at the site, the spokesperson said.