A venture company developing a new rocket in Taiki-cho, Hokkaido has released a test to confirm the performance of the pump, which is the heart of the rocket.
Taiki-cho venture company "Interstellar Technologies", which is working on the development of private rockets, plans to launch a new rocket "ZERO" next year.
On the 27th, a test to confirm the performance of a part called a "turbo pump" that sends fuel etc. to a combustor was released to the press.
The test was conducted by running water inside the pump to confirm that it works as expected at the time of design and that it is efficient in terms of fuel consumption.
The turbo pump is an important part that is the heart of the rocket, and the company has been conducting research and development with Muroran Institute of Technology and Ebara Corporation, a major manufacturer of pumps.
Ryuichiro Kanai of Interstellar Technologies said, "Turbo pumps are extremely difficult machines, so it takes time and effort to develop them independently. He helped me overcome the difficulties. "
Aiming to insert "ZERO" microsatellite into orbit Global demand is increasing
"ZERO" is a new rocket that Taiki-cho venture company "Interstellar Technologies" is developing with the aim of launching next year.
The rocket has a total length of 25 meters, a diameter of 1.7 meters, and a weight of 33 tons.
Three years ago, in May 2019, the company succeeded in launching "MOMO" into outer space for the first time in Japan as a rocket developed independently by the private sector.
The "MOMO" launched so far was a rocket equipped with experimental equipment and corporate products, and capable of reaching outer space at an altitude of 100 km.
On the other hand, "ZERO" aims to climb to an altitude of 500 km and put a microsatellite weighing 100 kg or less into orbit.
By launching microsatellite into outer space in the future, it is planned to be used in various fields such as high-speed satellite communication and earth observation from space, and the demand for launch is increasing worldwide. increase.
As for fuel, "ZERO" is being developed by using LNG = liquefied natural gas, which is mainly composed of methane and emits relatively little greenhouse gas.
Furthermore, since methane is abundant in biogas generated from livestock manure, the company plans to consider the realization of local production for local consumption of fuel in Hokkaido, where dairy farming is flourishing.