An official reported that a rocket engine exploded during a test on Friday, dealing the Japan Space Agency its latest setback. The explosion did not result in any injuries, according to the Kyodo News Agency. The incident happened about a minute into the second-stage engine’s ground test. According to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the Epsilon S, the successor to the current Epsilon series, is being developed at the Noshiro Testing Center in Akita Prefecture to increase the nation’s competitiveness in the expanding satellite launch market. Before an Epsilon-6 was instructed to self-destruct in 2022 after deviating from its intended trajectory, the first Epsilon rocket in the series launched in 2013. There were five successful launches of subsequent models before that. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency sent the command at 9.57 am after the Epsilon-6 rocket lifted off from Uchinoura Space Center near the southern tip of the southwestern main island of Kyushu around 9.50 am.
It was carrying eight satellites developed by private and public entities, including universities, as per Kyodo News Agency.
In a press conference after the failed launch, the agency said the decision to send the self-destruct order was made after the rocket deviated from its intended position and could not place the satellites in orbit.
The failure led the agency to postpone the launch of the Epsilon S from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2024 as it uses the same fuel tank as the Epsilon-6.
Epsilon series rockets utilize solid fuel, simplifying launch preparations compared with those that use liquid propellants.
JAXA’s new flagship H3 rocket was also ordered to self-destruct in March minutes after its second-stage engine failed to ignite, reported Kyodo News Agency.