Startup’s rocket ready for second bid
BLASTING off from a launchpad at a test site in Taiki, Hokkaido, the about 10-meter-long, 1.15tonne MOMO 2 aims to become the nation's first rocket developed entirely by a private company to reach outer space. The fuselage has been significantly improved from the first MOMO rocket, which malfunctioned soon after liftoff on July 30, 2017.
The rocket's engine had a flawless ignition during the first launch, but communication was lost soon after. The engine was shut down to make the rocket fall in the sea. The failure was caused by an insufficiently strong fuselage that resulted in the rocket rotating more than anticipated.
Space startup Interstellar Technologies Inc hopes it’s second time lucky as the company launches the small rocket it developed and built for reaching an altitude of 100 kilometres.
The company has boosted by fivefold the output of the gas jets used as MOMO 2's attitude control device. Other changes designed to make the fuselage more stable include replacing fixed nozzles with adjustable ones.
Engineer Hitomi Endo was instrumental in developing the new attitude control device. The 27-year-old studied rocketry at Hokkaido University's School of Engineering, but started his career at a shipbuilding company in Okayama Prefecture.
However, his passion for rockets remained undimmed, and he decided to change jobs after seeing MOMO 1's development in Taiki in May last year. He joined Interstellar Technologies in October and was placed in charge of developing an attitude control device – a component critical to the company's second attempt to reach space.
"There was huge pressure because the design involved a lot of trial and error," Endo said.
"Now all I can do is trust the device I have built and pray that the launch is a success."
Launch preparations have been made by 19 engineers, including Endo, who have worked hard from morning until late at night. Their average age is 30.
"This time, our rocket should reach space," Endo said, as he stood near the rocket waiting to lift off from its launchpad. — The Japan News/ANN