A fire broke out at the Tanegashima Space Center shortly after the engine test of the Epsilon S rocket started.
The Japanese space agency JAXA has had to suspend the engine test of its Epsilon S rocket after a fire broke out at the test site at the Tanegashima Space Center. The spokesperson of the space agency tells about it.
Footage shared by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK shows how a fire starts soon after the engine test starts. There was also an explosion at the test site.
The fire is not known to have caused personal injuries or material damage in the center.
According to JAXA’s spokesperson, the organization is investigating the situation in the test area.
The engine failure that occurred last time in the test of the Epsilon S rocket delayed the flights and satellite launches of Japan’s national space program by several months due to fault investigations.
If Tuesday’s engine test had been a success, the first test flight of the Epsilon S rocket could have taken place before the end of the current budget year next March.
Sources: Reuters, AFP