Japan Orders Rocket Carrying 8 Satellites to ‘Self-Destruct’ After Failed Launch

Japan's new solid-fuel rocket lifts off from the launch pad at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Uchinoura Space Center in Kimotsuki, Kagoshima prefecture, on Japan's southern island of Kyushu on Sept. 14, 2013. (Jiji Press/AFP/file/Getty Images)

Japan’s space agency on Wednesday sent a “self-destruction” signal to its Epsilon-6 rocket shortly after liftoff, the first such command issued by Japan since November 2003, according to local reports.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said it sent a destruction order signal to the rocket just minutes after launch when it detected the rocket had deviated from its intended trajectory, reported Kyodo News.

The Epsilon-6 was carrying eight satellites when it was launched from the Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima prefecture at around 9.50 a.m. (local time). JAXA sent the signal seven minutes later.

The rocket fell into the sea after self-destructing, and there have been no reports of injuries or property damage as a result of the incident. JAXA said the cause of the failure was still being investigated.

The 26-meter (85-foot) -long, 95.6-ton and solid-fuel Epsilon-6 rocket is the final version before JAXA plans to develop another variation, Epsilon-S. After five upgrades since early 2010, the Epsilon-6 is designed for a compact launch as JAXA aims to develop a commercial satellite launch business.

Wednesday’s failure ended success records for the Epsilon series since its first launch of the original version in 2013. It was also a first for JAXA since its H2A rocket failed in 2003.

The launch, originally scheduled for last Friday, had been delayed due to the location of a positioning satellite in space.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.