Japan’s space agency conducts first test flight for experimental reusable rocket
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s experimental reusable rocket took off and landed safely on its first test flight Saturday; The country is trying to obtain the technology key to lower launch costs and compete in the global space market. SpaceX.
The RV-X rocket took off, hovered and moved horizontally before landing during its sub-minute flight at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Noshiro Test Center in northeastern Japan, which was livestreamed by NVS, a group of space enthusiasts.
The rocket flew as planned, rising 11 meters (36 feet) and moving 16 meters (52 feet) horizontally while maintaining an upright position before landing, Takashi Ito, JAXA’s reusable rocket project manager, said in an online briefing from the test center.
Japan has been trying to catch up with technology that Elon Musk’s SpaceX has used for several years to reduce the launch costs of carrying payloads into space.
Saturday’s flight marks a step forward for Japan in achieving the technology needed to develop a lower-cost successor to the single-use technology that is the country’s current mainstay. H3 series.
The flight took place a day after state media reported the incident. Chinese He reported that the country had achieved the first successful recovery of a rocket’s first stage after liftoff.
Japan’s H3 rocket is designed to be more cost-effective than its predecessor H-2A The series has a near-perfect track record but still needs further cost cuts to compete in the global space market.
The Japanese government says a stable, commercially competitive transportation capacity is key to the country’s space program and national security.
JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are jointly developing the RV-X, which is 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) in diameter and 7.3 meters (23.9 feet) long and is equipped with an improved endurance engine and four shock-absorbing landing gear.
Ito said the “hard-working” engine has withstood 165 burn-in tests so far.
JAXA, which is developing reusable rockets in partnership with France and Germany, plans to send the RV-X rocket to a higher altitude of approximately 100 meters (218 feet) in future test flights.
