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Egypt Archaeologists Reveal New Archaeological Finds

In this Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019, photo released by Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, archaeology workers clean a small pink granite statue of Ramses II, near the ancient pyramids of Giza, Egypt. Archeologists in Egypt unveiled two new discoveries, the rare statue of Ramses II, one of the country's most famous pharaohs, and a diminutive ancient sphinx that was found in the southern desert province of Minya. (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities via AP)
In this Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019, photo released by Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, archaeology workers clean a small pink granite statue of Ramses II, near the ancient pyramids of Giza, Egypt. Archeologists in Egypt unveiled two new discoveries, the rare statue of Ramses II, one of the country's most famous pharaohs, and a diminutive ancient sphinx that was found in the southern desert province of Minya. (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities via AP)
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Egypt Archaeologists Reveal New Archaeological Finds

In this Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019, photo released by Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, archaeology workers clean a small pink granite statue of Ramses II, near the ancient pyramids of Giza, Egypt. Archeologists in Egypt unveiled two new discoveries, the rare statue of Ramses II, one of the country's most famous pharaohs, and a diminutive ancient sphinx that was found in the southern desert province of Minya. (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities via AP)
In this Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019, photo released by Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, archaeology workers clean a small pink granite statue of Ramses II, near the ancient pyramids of Giza, Egypt. Archeologists in Egypt unveiled two new discoveries, the rare statue of Ramses II, one of the country's most famous pharaohs, and a diminutive ancient sphinx that was found in the southern desert province of Minya. (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities via AP)

Archaeologists in Egypt have unveiled two new artifacts from antiquity, a rare statue of one of the country´s most famous pharaohs and a diminutive ancient sphinx.

Egypt´s Ministry of Antiquities announced that a pink granite statue of celebrated ancient ruler Ramses II was found last week, describing the artifact as "one of the rarest archaeological discoveries."

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the three-and-a-half-foot statue was crafted in a style that ancient Egyptians used to portray and capture an individual´s essential nature, adding that it was the first such statue to be found fashioned from granite.

A hieroglyphic inscription found on the back of the stone bore the name "strong bull," a reference to the king´s "strength and vitality," he added.

The statue, caked in mud, was found on the property of a man arrested earlier this month for carrying out illegal excavations near the ancient pyramids of Giza, according to the ministry statement. It did not say how the statue came to be on the man's property.

"It´s in very good condition," Niveen al-Areef, a spokeswoman for the antiquities ministry, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "We are now studying its importance and trying to determine its inscriptions."

Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, ruled Egypt for around 60 years, from 1279 B.C. to 1213 B.C. He is credited with expanding ancient Egypt´s reach as far as modern Syria to the east and modern Sudan to the south.

Over the weekend, Egyptian archaeologists also unearthed a dwarf limestone sphinx from a ditch in the southern desert province of Minya. At barely over one foot tall, the statue is no match for the towering Great Sphinx at the Pyramids of Giza, but the ministry said its finely carved face, which appears well-preserved, reflects impressive artistic skill and attention to detail.

Egypt frequently touts its archaeological discoveries in hopes of spurring a vital tourism industry that has been reeling from political turmoil following the 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

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Japan's Space Agency Halts Epsilon S Rocket Engine Test after Fire

Smoke and fire is seen during a combustion test of an engine for a new small Japanese rocket Epsilon S at Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
Smoke and fire is seen during a combustion test of an engine for a new small Japanese rocket Epsilon S at Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
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Japan's Space Agency Halts Epsilon S Rocket Engine Test after Fire

Smoke and fire is seen during a combustion test of an engine for a new small Japanese rocket Epsilon S at Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
Smoke and fire is seen during a combustion test of an engine for a new small Japanese rocket Epsilon S at Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japan's space agency aborted an engine test for the Epsilon S rocket on Tuesday following a fire at the test site, a failure that could push the rocket's debut launch beyond the March-end target and cause further delays in the national space program.
An explosion could be heard and a blaze could be seen shortly after the ground combustion test started at the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, according to footage from public broadcaster NHK.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the engine test encountered a "combustion abnormality" 49 seconds after the ignition. It said there was no indication of injury or damage to the outside facility, Reuters reported.
"JAXA will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the problem and consider countermeasures," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press briefing.
Hayashi, the top government spokesperson, said rocket development is "extremely important" to ensure the autonomy of Japan's space program.
JAXA partnered with the aerospace unit of heavy machinery maker IHI to develop Epsilon S, the next generation in the Epsilon solid-fuel small rocket series. Shares in IHI were down as much as 6% in Tokyo trade. An IHI Aerospace spokesperson said the company is investigating the cause.
Epsilon S's debut flight was slated by the end of the fiscal year through March 31 depending on the success of Tuesday's engine test.
The test was conducted after previous failures triggered months of investigation that have delayed space missions and satellite launch plans.
In July last year, an Epsilon S engine test failed due to thermal damage to its ignition systems. That followed a launch failure in 2022.
JAXA's larger flagship rocket H3, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, failed at its first launch last year but has succeeded in three flights this year, launching Japanese satellites and winning orders including from French satellite operator Eutelsat.
The H3 and Epsilon S are central to JAXA's ambition to build cost-competitive rockets amid the rise of American commercial launch providers such as market leader SpaceX and small rocket maker Rocket Lab.
In the private sector, IHI-backed Space One is set to attempt the second launch of its Kairos small rocket on Dec. 14 after the first flight exploded in March. It aims to become the first Japanese business to put a satellite in orbit.