Japan space agency test centre batches up again

This screenshot from live camera footage of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) shows a fire at the Epsilon small rocket engine test facility at the agency’s Tanegashima Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture on Nov. 26, 2024

An engine being developed for use in the Epsilon S small rocket went up in flames Tuesday during a combustion test at a facility in south-western Japan, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

The fire at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture follows another incident in July 2023 when the same engine exploded during a test at the Noshiro Testing Center in north-eastern Japan.

No one was injured in the fire and JAXA is examining the cause of the failure, according to the agency.

The incident occurred soon after the ground test for the second-stage engine began at 8:30 a.m. Flames emerged first before the sound of an explosion was heard around a minute later and white smoke enveloped the area.

In the previous botched test in July last year, a piece of metal from the ignition melted and damaged the thermal insulator covering the engine, allowing fuel to catch fire and cause an explosion.

JAXA had added thermal insulation to the ignition to address the issue prior to the latest test.

JAXA is developing the Epsilon S as the successor to the current Epsilon series to enhance the country’s competitiveness in the growing satellite launch market, but the continuous failures could potentially slow