Japan’s space agency cancels Epsilon S rocket engine test after explosion, investigation underway

TOKYO – Japan’s space agency cancelled an engine test for the Epsilon S rocket on Tuesday after it exploded and caught fire, a repeated failure that will likely push the rocket’s debut launch beyond the March-end target and delay the national space programme.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the combustion test resulted in an explosion of the second-stage engine 49 seconds after the ignition, causing fire at the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.

While no one was injured and the fire was put out within an hour, the blast damaged the facility, and JAXA is examining the cause of the failure, according to the agency.

“We are sorry that we couldn’t meet everyone’s expectations…but a silver lining was that we found (the issue) at a ground test, before putting it for a flight,” Imoto said, adding it will likely take at least several months to investigate the cause and take necessary countermeasures.

JAXA partnered with the aerospace unit of heavy machinery maker IHI 7013.T to develop Epsilon S, the next generation in the Epsilon solid-fuel small rocket series.

Shares in IHI were down as much as 7% in Tokyo trade. An IHI Aerospace spokesperson said the company was investigating the cause.

In July last year, an Epsilon S engine test failed due to thermal damage to its ignition systems. That followed a launch failure of a previous-generation Epsilon rocket in 2022.

JAXA’s larger flagship rocket H3, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 7011.T, failed at its first launch last year but has succeeded in three flights this year, launching Japanese satellites and winning orders, including from French satellite operator Eutelsat ETL.PA.

The H3 and Epsilon S are central to JAXA’s ambition to build cost-competitive rockets amid the rise of American commercial launch providers such as market leader SpaceX and small rocket maker Rocket Lab RKLB.O.