TOKYO, July 14, 2023—Driving the last nail to the coffin of the faltering Japanese technology, a solid-fuel engine of Japan’s next-generation small-size rocket EpsilonS July 14 exploded in a terrestrial firing experiment, according to Japanese news reports.
JAXA, the Japanese governmental space development and exploration agency, has been developing the EpsilonS as the successor to the Epsilon rocket – Japan’s workhorse rocket – that the agency retired in 2022. JAXA is targeting 2024 as the EpsilonS first launch year. In March 2023, JAXA failed to launch the H3 large-size rocket.
North Korea,has been almost successfully launching long-range missiles with liquid fuel rockets, which experts said can also be used for lifting space gear. The United States and China are further distancing Japan in rocket technology: Whereas Epsilon and EpsilonS rockets are disposable, SpaceX rockets are reusable. Chinese rockets also are known to be reliable.
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