Japan’s space agency halts Epsilon S rocket engine test after fire
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The fire occurred at the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan.
PHOTO: KYODO VIA REUTERS
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TOKYO – Japan’s space agency aborted an engine test for the Epsilon S rocket on Nov 26 following a fire at the test site, a failure that could push the rocket’s debut launch beyond the March-end target and cause further delays in the national space programme.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) said the combustion test resulted in an explosion of the second-stage motor 49 seconds after the ignition, causing fire at the Tanegashima Space Centre in south-western Japan.
While no one was injured and the fire was put out within an hour, the blast damaged the facility, and the cause remains unclear, Jaxa’s Epsilon project manager Takayuki Imoto told a media briefing.
“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,” Mr 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 Corp to develop Epsilon S, a next-generation model in the Epsilon solid-fuel small rocket series.
Shares in IHI were down as much as 7 per cent in Tokyo trade.
An IHI Aerospace spokesperson said the company is investigating the cause.
Epsilon S’s debut flight was slated by the end of the fiscal year through March 31 depending on the success of Nov 26’s engine test.
The test was conducted after previous failures triggered months of investigation that have delayed space missions and satellite launch plans.
In July 2023, an Epsilon S engine test failed due to thermal damage to its ignition systems. That followed a launch failure in 2022.
Jaxa’s larger flagship rocket H3, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, failed at its first launch in 2023 but has since succeeded in three flights in 2024, launching Japanese satellites and winning orders from including French satellite company Eutelsat.
H3 and Epsilon S have been Jaxa’s hope to build cost-competitive rockets on its own, amid the rise of American commercial launch providers such as market leader SpaceX and small rocket maker Rocket Lab.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the top government spokesperson, said at a regular press briefing that rocket development is “extremely important” to ensure the autonomy of Japan’s space programme.
In the private sector, IHI-backed Space One is set to attempt the second launch of its Kairos small rocket on Dec 14 after the first flight exploded in March.
It aims to become the first Japanese business to put a satellite in orbit. REUTERS
