Session
Weekday Poster Session 2
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
The demand for small satellite launch opportunities continues to increase year by year, especially the demand for low-cost and flexible access. With various missions, requirements, and constraints, many small satellites require dedicated launches to reach the desired orbit at the desired schedule. Although options such as rideshares and lower-cost dedicated launches are more common compared to years before, the demand for small satellite launch services remains high. This trend is also apparent in Japan and other Asian countries as currently, there are only few opportunities to launch from the local region. To address this shortage, Interstellar Technologies Inc. based in Hokkaido, Japan is developing ZERO, a two-stage orbital class launch vehicle. The development of ZERO focuses on lowering costs to launch through methods such as employing production at scale, modularizing and standardizing components, and designing the launch vehicle system in-house. A large portion of the engineering of critical components such as the engines, turbopumps, propellant tanks, fairing structures, avionics, and ground infrastructure are done in-house. Recent development updates include a horizontal static hot-fire test of the liquid biomethane engine combustion chamber, cold flow test of the turbopump, pressurization test of the propellant tank, fairing separation test, and thrust vector control system test, all of subscale prototypes. This paper will introduce how Interstellar Technologies Inc. is developing ZERO to meet the needs of small satellites and to lower the hurdles of access to space.
ZERO by Interstellar Technologies Inc.: Lowering the Cost of Access to Space From Japan
Utah State University, Logan, UT
The demand for small satellite launch opportunities continues to increase year by year, especially the demand for low-cost and flexible access. With various missions, requirements, and constraints, many small satellites require dedicated launches to reach the desired orbit at the desired schedule. Although options such as rideshares and lower-cost dedicated launches are more common compared to years before, the demand for small satellite launch services remains high. This trend is also apparent in Japan and other Asian countries as currently, there are only few opportunities to launch from the local region. To address this shortage, Interstellar Technologies Inc. based in Hokkaido, Japan is developing ZERO, a two-stage orbital class launch vehicle. The development of ZERO focuses on lowering costs to launch through methods such as employing production at scale, modularizing and standardizing components, and designing the launch vehicle system in-house. A large portion of the engineering of critical components such as the engines, turbopumps, propellant tanks, fairing structures, avionics, and ground infrastructure are done in-house. Recent development updates include a horizontal static hot-fire test of the liquid biomethane engine combustion chamber, cold flow test of the turbopump, pressurization test of the propellant tank, fairing separation test, and thrust vector control system test, all of subscale prototypes. This paper will introduce how Interstellar Technologies Inc. is developing ZERO to meet the needs of small satellites and to lower the hurdles of access to space.
