Japan's space agency aborted an engine test for the Epsilon S rocket on Tuesday after it exploded and caught fire, a repeated failure that will likely push the rocket's debut launch beyond the March-end target and delay the national space programme.

On Tuesday, a second-stage engine designed for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's ( JAXA) new Epsilon S rocket exploded some 49 seconds into testing at the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan.

The engine for a flagship new small Japanese rocket has burst into flames during a combustion test, but there was no injury or damage to the outside, officials said