A fire has broken out during the testing of Japan's Epsilon S rocket engine, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press conference, Report informs via TASS.
According to him, the incident occurred during the test of the fuel burnout process. "According to the data we have received, there were no casualties as a result of the incident," he noted. Hayashi added that aerospace development is crucial for Japan and promised that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will conduct a thorough investigation.
JAXA, for its part, said that the incident occurred during an engine test at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. An explosion occurred during fuel burnout, causing a fire.
The three-stage solid-fuel Epsilon series rocket was developed by JAXA in cooperation with Japan's IHI Aircraft Corporation. Japan has been using such rockets to launch small satellites since 2013, with the Epsilon S being the latest modification.