A massive fire erupted Tuesday at Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center during a test of the solid-fuel Epsilon S rocket. Television footage captured towering balls of fire and clouds of white fumes rising from the site in the remote Kagoshima region of southern Japan.
No injuries were reported in the incident. The fire occurred during a combustion test that began around 8:30 a.m., with media representatives stationed approximately 600 meters away. About 30 seconds into the test, a large explosion was heard, and witnesses observed something on fire flying toward the sea.
The Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported that bright orange flames burst out from the rocket engine, which was placed on a horizontal platform, moments before the explosion.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
