The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is working on a new, large, reusable launch vehicle that will form the basis of future space transportation plans. The launcher will be jointly developed by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). It can be used multiple times, also increasing payload and reducing launch cost.

The move was approved by Japan’s revised basic space policy plan on June 13 this year. The plan includes research and development of a new generation missile that will follow the new H3 missile.

“In line with the Space Policy Master Plan, JAXA has begun research on a next-generation rocket with a reusable first stage with MHI,” the public relations department told SpaceNews in an emailed statement. said. JAXA.

The H3 is a single-use missile designed to be a more powerful and cost-effective successor to the H-2A missile. It made its first flight in March, but the mission was lost due to a problem in the second stage. Both rockets are equipped with a mixture of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

However, the choice of fuel for the new rocket is being investigated. “Liquid methane and liquid hydrogen are candidates,” JAXA said. U.S. rocket companies including SpaceX, Blue Origin and ULA, as well as China’s state-owned CASC and commercial firms Landspace and iSpace, have launched or are close to launching methane-oxygen plants.

JAXA said it aims to reduce the cost per kilogram for low Earth orbit (LEO) by about half that of H3. This will also increase the frequency of launches. A few pieces have been installed so far.

“The targeting capability of the payload is not fixed because JAXA and MHI are currently conducting a detailed study of the new rocket.”

According to the program document, the rocket should be able to carry cargo vehicles into lunar orbit and landing modules to the lunar surface. The master plan calls for the rocket to be ready in the 2030s as part of space transportation plans. The project could potentially be expanded to support full reusability and human spaceflight.

The space transportation aspects of the plan also create space for specially developed rockets. Start-ups, including Interstellar, are currently working on on-ramps. The plan also envisions private space companies and new partnerships that will promote the development of Japan’s space transportation and the space industry as a whole. Source