By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – A rocket exploded during a test-firing in Japan on Friday, the nation’s space agency said.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said in a statement that Epsilon S rocket engine exploded at the Noshiro Testing Center in the mountainous northern Akita province.
No one was injured during the incident, it added.
The rocket engine was undergoing second-stage testing but it exploded just about one minute after the testing began.
Japan first blasted off a rocket from Epsilon series in 2013 and later conducted five successful launches of its different models.
However, last year, an Epsilon-6 rocket was ordered to self-destruct after it “deviated from its intended trajectory.”