Japan’s rocket explodes during test-firing

ISTANBUL

A rocket exploded during a test-firing in Japan on Friday, the nation’s space agency said.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said in a statement that Epsilon S rocket engine exploded at the Noshiro Testing Center in the mountainous northern Akita province.

No one was injured during the incident, it added.

The rocket engine was undergoing second-stage testing but it exploded just about one minute after the testing began.

Japan first blasted off a rocket from Epsilon series in 2013 and later conducted five successful launches of its different models.

However, last year, an Epsilon-6 rocket was ordered to self-destruct after it “deviated from its intended trajectory.”