The engine of Japan's new Epsilon-S rocket exploded during testing

Today, July 14, the engine of the new Epsilon-S rocket was tested at the site of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The tests ended with the explosion of the propulsion system.

Here's What We Know

The incident was reported by a representative of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Japan. As a result of the rocket engine explosion, which occurred one minute after the start of the test, no one was injured.

Japan's rocket programme is going through bad times. In early March 2023, the H3 rocket received a command to self-destruct due to a second stage engine malfunction. Last autumn, failure befell the developers of the Epsilon-6 rocket.

Another black day for the Japanese rocket programme is the crash of the HAKUTO-R module. At the end of April this year, it failed to land on the surface of the Moon and crashed along with the entire payload.

Source: Reuters