This is the moment a space rocket engine exploded during a failed test at a facility in Japan today.

The Epsilon S engine of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency blew up at the test site in Noshiro in the Akita Prefecture in at around 9 am on July 14.

An official from Japan's Education, Science, and Technology Ministry said the blast happened around a minute after they began testing the second stage engine.

Footage shows jets of flame and clouds of smoke shooting out from the small testing facility next to a body of water. The fire was seen growing larger and brighter, before an explosion ripped through the building and blew up its roof in a spectacular fireball.

Local media citing Jaxa reported there were no injuries, though a nearby local said he heard the loud explosion.

Last March, JAXA ordered its H3 rocket to self-destruct when its second-stage engine failed to ignite.