The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on Tuesday, July 27, a successful test of the S-520 meteorological rocket with a new engine of its own design.
The rocket was launched from the site of the Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. The engine developed by JAXA generates a shock wave by burning methane and oxygen. If the development is successfully completed, this technology will reduce the size of the rocket engine by ten times.
Earlier, on May 12, it became known that the Japanese government is going to develop a new-generation launch vehicle with a returnable first stage for its reusable use. The tests are planned to be carried out in 2026, and the first full-fledged launch is scheduled for 2030. The country intends to use technologies similar to those introduced by SpaceX in the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. We are talking about landing the first stage on a floating platform.
Since the early 2000s, Japan has been using the H-2A launch vehicle. Its launch alone costs 10 billion yen ($91 million), which is much more expensive than other world analogues. By the spring of 2022, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) intends to conduct the first launch of a new H-III rocket. In addition to the technology of the returned first stage, components from private manufacturers will be introduced into the next-generation rocket to further reduce its final cost.
Last fall, it became known that the Japanese Aerospace Research Agency plans to build a hydrogen fuel production plant on the Moon by 2035.
