TOKYO - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on Thursday conducted a ground test of the Epsilon S small rocket's engine, following two consecutive failures in similar tests in recent years.
The test of the 27-meter-long, solid-fuel rocket was completed as planned. Japan's last successful launch of an Epsilon-series rocket was in 2021.
Following explosions during combustion tests in 2023 and 2024, the test of the Epsilon S rocket's second-stage engine at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture lasted about 130 seconds.
Since determining the causes of the two previous failures involving the new engine would take time, the test used an older M-35a second-stage motor, in which some components had been replaced with substitute materials.
Along with the H3 liquid-fueled rocket, Epsilon S is one of two core launch vehicles designated by the Japanese government as essential to maintaining the country's independent satellite launch capability.
