Japanese Company Preparing for Country’s First Private Rocket Launch

[monkeymagick]

Japan's Interstellar Technologies is set to be the first private company to launch its own rocket in the country. Standing at 8.5 meters and a dry mass of 250 kilograms, the rocket can deliver a payload of 10kg to an altitude of 130km, or 20kg to an altitude of 120km with a flight time of 10 minutes. Compared to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket which has a the thrust of 845kN, Interstellar's Momo rocket has a modest thrust of 12kN. Quite a big leap for a company that started out as a hobbyist group, back in 1997.


Still, it's a start. And because the company is using liquid-fueled engines rather than solid rocket motors, the traditional means of powering sounding rockets, it suggests that Interstellar eventually plans to get into orbital flights.

 

[Nukester]

It'll spark and tip over. It's hard to make rockets when employees make 10 cents an hour.

 

[katanaD]

it still looks like an old hobby rocket, but yes, it is a start

 

[EdZ]

It's a sounding rocket, rather than an orbital rocket. There are a huge variety commercially available, so this is more surprising that Japan does not have a domestic sounding rocket supplier than anything else.

 

[Randall Stephens]

Very cool. Kudos for going the liquid route. While Japan isn't the best location for many types of satellite launches due to latitude, it's good to see people taking some initiative to move the industry forward.