In Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture, in northwestern Japan, a ground test of the country’s ‘Epsilon S’ rocket appears to have misfired, causing a large explosion at a test facility run by JAXA, Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency. 

The explosion took place 57 seconds after ignition during a firing test at 9am local time on July 14, 2023. The exact moment when the rocket exploded was captured on camera and later shared by Japanese media outlets on their social media channels. 

The rocket involved in the blast, which is seen to destroy the building where the test was being conducted, is a modernized version of Japan-made Epsilon rocket, a Japanese solid-fuel rocket designed to launch scientific satellites, first launched in 2013.