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Propulsion System for the Space Station Supply Vehicle(HTV)
Propulsion Module
H-II Transfer Vehicle cut model
The space station supply vehicle is a space vehicle used to transport supplies to the Space Station. We are in charge of the propulsion system that will be used to change the orbit and attitude of the HTV. Although the HTV itself will be unmanned, because it will approach and make contact with the manned Space Station the design philosophy behind the propulsion system will be the same as that for a manned space vehicle. We are in charge of the development of the fi rst Japanese space vehicle propulsion system with manned vehicle specifications and are therefore aiming for high reliability and safety.
Export Products (Bipropellant liquid apogee engine etc.)
500N Engine
22 N Thruster
We have developed world-class products based on our experience in thrusters developed together with JAXA and are marketing them. One of these world-class products is an apogee engine of 500 N class for the GTO mission used to inject a spacecraft from the transfer orbit to a geostationary orbit, and presently it is highly regarded by customers worldwide for its performance (specifi c impulse) the best in the world. (As of February 2010, 30 units of the 22 N thruster and 17 units of the 500 N engine have been fl own, and 44 units of the 20 N thruster and 31 units of the 500 N engine have been exported.) The same engine has been adopted in the “WINDS” (Wideband InterNetworking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite “KIZUNA”) launched in February 2008, and it is expected that this apogee engine will be adopted in Japanese operational geostationary satellites in the future.
Unified Propulsion Subsystem
DRTS
SELENE
WINDS
It has become necessary to adopt a liquid propellant apogee engine instead of a solid propellant apogee engine in order to improve the orbit injection accuracy and launch larger satellite. Our fi rst development of the liquid propellant apogee engine was an engine of 1700 N class used in COMETS (COMmunications and broadcasting Engineering Test Satellite) followed by the development of the more-easy to use 500 N class engine, which was used in DRTS (Data Relay Test Satellite, “Kodama”), SELENE (lunar orbiter “KAGUYA”), and WINDS (Wideband InterNetworking engineering test and Demonstration Satellite “KIZUNA”). This engine is integrated with catalyst decomposition thrusters and propellant tanks to form the Unifi ed Propulsion Subsystem (UPS). We have designed, developed and manufactured these thrusters and tanks, integrated them into an UPS, and verifi ed the UPS as a system, allowing us to be known as a system integrator as well as component manufacturer. The fruits of these developments have been and will be utilized in various applications, and it is planned that this UPS will be used in a lander of the next lunar explorer (SELENE-2).
Satellite Attitude Control System
Monopropellant Thruster
GOSAT
Monopropellant Thrusters are used in the orbit and attitude controls of a satellite. In the Monopropellant Thruster, fuel is decomposed and heated by the catalytic reaction to generate the hot gas, which is ejected through a nozzle to crate the thrust. We have manufactured a lot of catalyst decomposition thrusters for Japanese operational satellites since 1981. Our product lineup expands from 1N thrusters to 50 N thrusters, and we are going to market these thrusters overseas. Our latest product is the Reaction Control System (RCS) mainly composed of the thrusters and propellant tanks, and it has been used in GOSAT (Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite, see photos)
Pressurant tank for satellite
The Unified Propulsion Subsystem (UPS) and Reaction Control System (RCS) require propellant tanks to store propellant and pressurant gas, and even in a zero gravity environment, the propellant has to be pressure-fed into the combustion chamber without being mixed with the pressurant gas. We have developed propellant tanks that have a unique internal device to separate the propellant from the pressurant gas by making use of Japanese original technology and have manufactured tanks of various capacities, and since 1981 they have been aboard a variety of Japanese operational satellites such as LEO satellites, GEO satellites, and lunar explorers.
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