Japan halted an engine test for one of its flagship rockets after a fire broke out at the launch site on Tuesday, marking the latest setback in the country’s efforts to establish a foothold in the growing market for vehicles capable of launching satellites into orbit.
Japan’s space agency had been testing the engine combustion of its Epsilon S rocket when what it described as an “abnormality” occurred shortly after ignition. Footage from NHK, the public broadcaster, showed a blaze erupting at the test site in southwestern Japan.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, known as JAXA, said in a statement that there had been no reports of injuries or damage to the surrounding facilities. It was investigating he cause of the engine malfunction.
The failed test of JAXA’s Epsilon S rocket, codeveloped with Japanese heavy-industry manufacturer IHI, follows a similar issue in 2023 that led to months of reviews and delays. JAXA has previously said it planned to launch a demonstration model of the rocket by the end of March.
Japan’s bigger mainstay rocket, the H3, experienced several delays and a failed attempt before it was successfully launched into orbit earlier this year. The country’s first satellite launch attempted by a private company, the Tokyo-based startup Space One, failed after the rocket exploded shortly after liftoff in March.
Japan’s latest stumble comes amid a global surge in demand for satellites and the rockets needed to launch them into orbit. The market for satellite manufacturing and launch vehicles is expected to surpass $400 billion by the end of the decade, up from around $250 billion this year, according to Mordor Intelligence, a research and advisory firm.
Currently, the market for satellite launch vehicles is dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, along with other key players including United Launch Alliance, the joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin; France’s Arianespace; and Russia’s Roscosmos, according to the research firm.
JAXA has said that its Epsilon rockets provide a “world-class” environment for satellites, citing engineering advancements aimed at reducing vibrations and shocks during satellite separation. “Through these efforts, we intend to make a full-scale entry into the launch market,” JAXA said in an online post last year.
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