A Japanese Epsilon S small rocket engine exploded during a test Friday, in the latest setback for the country’s space agency.
No one was injured in the explosion at the Noshiro Testing Center in Akita Prefecture, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The incident occurred about one minute after the ground test for the second-stage engine began.
The agency 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.
The first rocket in the series blasted off in 2013 and there were successful launches of five models before an Epsilon-6 was ordered to self-destruct in 2022 after it deviated from its intended trajectory.
The failure led the agency to postpone the launch of the Epsilon S from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2024 as it uses the same fuel tank as the Epsilon-6.
Epsilon series rockets utilize solid fuel, simplifying launch preparations compared with those that use liquid propellants.
JAXA’s new flagship H3 rocket was also ordered to self-destruct in March minutes after its second-stage engine failed to ignite.
The Epsilon Launch Vehicle is a solid-fuel rocket designed to lower the threshold to space hitherto regarded as “special” and to usher in an age in which everyone can make active use of space. It has achieved a world-class, satellite-friendly environment by reducing vibration and noise as well as buffering shocks during satellite separation. Epsilon-4 established the technology for the simultaneous launch of multiple satellites, and Epsilon-5 succeeded in inserting nine satellites, the most ever, into their scheduled orbit. Furthermore, the development of the “Epsilon S Launch Vehicle” has started to strengthen Epsilon’s international competitiveness by maximizing synergistic effects with the H3 Launch Vehicle with the aim at launching the demonstration flight in FY2023. Through these efforts, we intend to make a full-scale enter into the launch market for small satellites including nanosatellites, the demand for which is expected to grow in the future.