japan explosion
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An explosion occurred at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s rocket testing site in the northeastern Japan city of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on July 14, the science ministry said.

The explosion that occurred during a combustion test of the two-stage motor of the "Epsilon S" rocket is seen in this frame grab from Necovideo Visual Solutions' YouTube video.

As of 11 a.m., about two hours after the explosion, firefighting operations were still underway, but no injuries were reported, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.


Comment: Footage of the explosion:



A combustion test of the two-stage motor of the 27.2-meter-long small solid-fuel rocket "Epsilon S," which is under development, was being conducted at the Noshiro Rocket Testing Center when the explosion occurred. According to JAXA, 57 seconds after the start of the test, an abnormal combustion occurred in the motor. The agency is investigating the details.

The Epsilon S is an improved version of the existing Epsilon launch vehicle, and JAXA aims to enhance its performance by increasing the size of the two-stage motor and other components. The explosion is likely to affect future development.