Japanese space agency's Epsilon S rocket explodes during testing

A rocket being developed by the Japanese space agency exploded during testing, 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 on Friday.

It was unclear 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.

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