Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Via AP news wire

Rocket being developed by Japan's space agency explodes during testing but no injuries reported

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A rocket being developed by the Japanese space agency exploded during testing on Friday, but there were no reports of injuries, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

The cause of the accident at the facility in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, was still being investigated, the agency, JAXA, said. It was unclear and when testing for the Epsilon S rocket could resume.

Japanese TV news footage from the site shows the test starting normally, with white smoke shooting out at the side. About a minute later, flames and gray smoke burst upward in an explosion, and the roof is seen blowing off a building.

The failure is a setback for JAXA’s ambitions to enter fully into the launch market for small satellites, a market that is expected to grow.

An Epsilon S demonstration launch had been scheduled for this fiscal year, but a launch attempt failed in May. JAXA’s launch of another kind of rocket called H3 failed in March.

But an earlier Epsilon has worked and managed to send several satellites into orbit.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.