Japan is off to a shaky start in its efforts to break into the space rocket market dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

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.

Japan's space agency has halted an engine combustion test of its Epsilon S rocket, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, after a fire broke out at the test site, 16 months after another failed engine test derailed Japan's small rocket development.