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“There was an abnormality during today’s combustion test. We are trying to assess what happened,” JAXA said.<\/p>\n
Footage on NHK showed flames and smoke rising from the site on the southern Japanese island, DW reported.<\/p>\n
Journalists positioned around one kilometer\u00a0(0.62 miles) away reported a large explosion shortly after the test began at 8:30 a.m. local time.<\/p>\n
Footage on national broadcaster NHK showed towering balls of fire and white fumes rising from the site.<\/p>\n
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the incident is under investigation.<\/p>\n
“JAXA will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the problem and consider countermeasures,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Japanese government’s top spokesperson.<\/p>\n
“The development of flagship rockets is extremely important for the independence of Japan’s space development program.”<\/p>\n
But the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that JAXA’s plan to launch the Epsilon S \u2013 the successor to the Epsilon \u2013 by March 2025 was now practically impossible.<\/p>\n
In March a rocket made by a private Japanese company,\u00a0Tokyo-based Space One, exploded seconds after launch.<\/p>\n
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