Japan conducts Epilson rocket engine test after 2 consecutive failures

Japan's aerospace agency on Thursday conducted a ground test of the Epsilon S small rocket's engine following two consecutive failures in recent years, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency completed the test of the 27-meter-long, solid-fuel rocket as planned.

Tokyo's last successful launch of an Epsilon-series rocket was in 2021.

In 2023 and 2024, tests of the Epsilon S rocket's second-stage engine at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture lasted about 130 seconds before explosions occurred during combustion tests.

Thursday's test used an older M-35a second-stage motor with some components replaced by substitute materials.

Along with the H3 liquid-fueled rocket, the 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.

Determining the causes of the two previous failures involving the new engine "would take time," according to the report.