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Facilities
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The Testing Center is located on a strip of land running north and south along the coast of the Japan Sea in Asanai, Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture. It has static-firing test facilities for solid-rocket motors and system test facilities for liquid-oxygen and liquid-hydrogen engines.
Large Atmospheric Firing Test Building
This is where combustion tests are conducted to check the performance of large solid-rocket motors that fly in the atmosphere. Fixed and movable domes cover the test site to protect the testing motors against weather effects. A flame deflector made of fireproof concrete deflects and diffuses the exhaust gas upward into the sky to prevent pollution of the surrounding sea.
Vacuum Firing Test Building
This is where combustion tests are conducted to check the vacuum-flight performance of rocket motors. Both vacuum and atmospheric combustion tests are possible in the large vacuum chamber, which can contain a solid motor up to 10m in length, 3m in diameter, 30 tons in total weight and with a thrust of 150 tons. With its enormous capacity and structural advantages, the vacuum chamber is also utilized for many other scientific and engineering experiments.
Development of High-Performance Liquid-Hydrogen Engines
ISAS has been developing rocket engines and air-breathing engines using liquid hydrogen as a propellant since 1975. The air turbo ramjet (ATR), which ISAS started R&D efforts in 1988 for the first time in the world, is an air-breathing engine designed as a high-performance propulsion system for future space planes. The engine proved successful in 1992 in a static combustion test on the ground.
Firing Test of Expander Cycle Liquid-Hydrogen/Liquid- Oxygen Engine (November 1987)
Firing Test of Air Turbo Ramjet (ATR) Engine (October 1992))
Air Turbo Ramjet (ATR) Engine Mounted on Test Stand
Reusable Rocket Experiment
With the development of lightweight structures/materials and a high-performance propulsion system, a reusable single-stage space plane system is now on the road to realization. ISAS now presents the concept of a fully reusable rocket system which would realize higher-performance technologies, higher-efficiency operations, and more-effective reusability. The basic development of a future reusable rocket is now underway using a small flight-test vehicle with a liquid hydrogen engine that is capable of vertical launch and landing.
Launch/Landing Experiment of Reusable Rocket