While the cause behind the explosion remains unclear, an incident like this has happened before.
Last years explosion was blamed on a melting piece of metal, damaging part of the engine.
The rocket was destroyed, along with eight commercial satellites included in its rideshare mission.
JAXA’s solid fuel rocket Epsilon stands on a launching pad at Jaxa’s Uchinoura Space Center on August 27, 2013.JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images
Epsilon S was being prepped for its debut flight sometime between the end of the year and March 2025.
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