The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has gifted an advanced rocket launcher to The University of Queensland this week for peaceful, scientific experiments.
The launcher will be used in UQ-led experiments at Woomera, South Australia, in March, 2006 to develop scramjet technology as part of the HyShot™ international program.
The launcher is 35 metres long, 6 metres tall and stands 26 metres tall when fully erect.
Two experiments will be held this month at Mach 8 (eight times the speed of sound, or about 8000km/hour) to test scramjets — types of very fast jet engines.
This month at Woomera, the HyShot™ III program will test an engine for British aerospace company QinetiQ (March 25), while HyShot™ IV, a collaboration between UQ and JAXA, will provide more extensive pressure and temperature measurements than previous flights (March 28).
UQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor David Siddle welcomed JAXA’s generous donation.
“The gift of the launcher and the HyShot™ flights are significant examples of scientists collaborating across international boundaries to further new flight technologies,” Professor Siddle said.
“The gift will assist the University to conduct hypersonics experiments and also help train the next generation of mechanical and space engineering scientists.
“We will have three UQ PhD students and a Master of Philosophy student learning from international leaders during the flight campaign, a unique opportunity for any postgraduate student.”
HyShot™ program leader Professor Allan Paull said the University’s Centre for Hypersonics and JAXA had a 15-year relationship in which good scientific rapport had been developed.
“JAXA scientists, including Dr Hideyuki Tanno and Mr Masahiro Takahashi have undertaken postdoctoral fellowships in fields such as mass spectrometry and skin friction measurements at UQ, while UQ is working closely with Dr Tetsuji Sunami of JAXA’s Combined Propulsion Group on the HyShot™ IV program,” he said.
“It’s a two-way flow as UQ graduate Dr Scott Rowan is now working with JAXA in Japan on skin friction reduction techniques.”
The donated launcher was used in last year’s successful test at Woomera of the JAXA National Experimental Supersonic Transport (NEXST-1) at Mach 2 (on October 10, 2005). The NEXST-1 is an experimental prototype technology for a new plane to replace the Concorde, the world’s first supersonic jetliner, which has now been retired. The Australian test was to verify this technology by launching a small non-powered experimental airplane to glide at supersonic speed by a rocket.
HyShot™ team members chief engineer Dr Hans Alesi and Myles Frost, PhD student Rainer Kirchhartz and volunteer technician Joe Gisa are adapting the launch rail on the launcher for the HyShot™ flights. Dr Alesi, who is the HyShot™ chief engineer, has designed the rail to accommodate the Terrier-Orion rocket combination which will carry the scramjet experimental payloads. North Queensland businessman Mr Don Fry of Aimtek Pty Ltd has built the rail and Professor Paull and Ms Lisa Jensen of HyShot™ have placed the controlling hardware on the launcher.
Main attendees from JAXA at the signing ceremony in Tokyo were:
• Dr Kimio SAKATA, Executive Director of JAXA
• Dr Kazuo SUZUKI, Director of Program Management and Integration Department of ISTA (Institute of Space Technology and Aeronautics)
• Mr Norimitsu KAMIMORI, Manager of Program and Planning Office of ISTA
• Mr Yasumasa OHKADO, Manager of Program and Planning Office of ISTA
• Dr Takeshi OHNUKI, Manager for Supersonic Transport Team of Aviation Program Group
• Dr Tetsuji SUNAMI, Asociate Senior Researcher of Combined Propulsion Group of ISTA
About scramjets
Scramjets are air-breathing supersonic combustion ramjet engines. They raise the possibility of Sydney to London two-hour flights. However, their main application will be the launch of small space payloads, such as communications satellites, by substantially lowering costs. They have the added benefit that they do not even have to carry most of their propellant as they use oxygen from the atmosphere. While the experiments will be at 8000km/hr, in contrast, a conventional jet plane flies at about 10 times less that speed, at about 800km per hour.
UQ
UQ has been at the forefront of scramjet technology development. ?UQ reported for the first time in the open literature the development of a scramjet that achieved more thrust than drag in ground testing in 1993. UQ also led the international HyShot™ program which demonstrated the world`s first supersonic combustion in an atmospheric flight test at Woomera, in the South Australian desert, on July 30, 2002, at speeds of more than Mach 8, or 8 times the speed of sound.
JAXA
JAXA is a Japanese research organization which groups together three former independent research organizations, to allow a continuous and systematic approach to space exploration and aviation, from basic research to development and practical application. It was formed in 2003 to link together the Japanese Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), which was devoted to space and planetary research; the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL) which focused on research and development of next-generation aviation; and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) which was responsible for the development of large-size launch vehicles.
Media: UQ Jan King, UQ Communications 0413 601 248, +61 7 3365 1120, >j.king@uq.edu.au.
JAXA: Program Office, Aviation Program Group, ?+81-422-40-3934 koho@chofu.jaxa.jp
For pix of the launcher, please contact UQ photographic library coordinator Ms Diana Lilley, email d.lilley@uq.edu.au
