A rocket being developed by the Japanese space agency has exploded during testing, but there are no reports of injuries.

The cause of the accident at the facility in Akita prefecture is still being investigated, said the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa).

It is unclear when testing for the Epsilon S rocket will resume.

Japanese TV news footage from the site shows the test starting normally, with white smoke shooting out at the side.

About a minute later, flames and grey smoke burst upwards in an explosion, and the roof is seen being blown off a building.

The failure is a setback for Jaxa’s ambitions to enter the launch market for small satellites.

An Epsilon S demonstration launch had been scheduled for this fiscal year, but an attempt failed in May.

Jaxa’s launch of another kind of rocket called H3 failed in March, but an earlier Epsilon worked and managed to send several satellites into orbit.