2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Demonstrative research on highly functional and cost reduced solid rocket by applying innovative technologies.

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	19H00805
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Review Section	Medium-sized Section 24:Aerospace engineering, marine and maritime engineering, and related fields
Research Institution	Japan Aerospace EXploration Agency
Principal Investigator	Morita Yasuhiro 国立研究開発法人宇宙航空研究開発機構, 宇宙科学研究所, 専任教授 (80230134)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	佐伯孝尚国立研究開発法人宇宙航空研究開発機構, 宇宙科学研究所, 教授 (10415903) 堀恵一国立研究開発法人宇宙航空研究開発機構, 宇宙科学研究所, 専任教授 (40202303) 三浦政司国立研究開発法人宇宙航空研究開発機構, 宇宙科学研究所, 准教授 (80623537)
Project Period (FY)	2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
Keywords	固体燃料ロケット / 宇宙輸送
Outline of Final Research Achievements	This research project was carried out step by step and with sufficient results achieved as a whole. Major achievements included finalizing the large motor design in FY2021, prototyping a natural fuel motor for a demonstration rocket in FY2022, and demonstrating the effectiveness of the innovative solid rocket fuel (LTP) through ground combustion tests. The most important verification items (reducing manufacturing time and mechanical characteristics, combustion characteristics) were sufficient for the characteristics of a large motor, and as a result, flight tests were conducted in FY2023, and sufficient results were achieved toward the practical application of LTP, such as obtaining combustion characteristics in a high acceleration environment. As a post-hoc evaluation of this research, it can be said that the five-year research plan was completed as planned, increasing the technological maturity of LTP, and achieving the results originally expected.
Free Research Field	宇宙システム工学、制御工学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	本研究は、学術ニーズを満たす（低コストで高頻度に打ち上げ可能な）次世代固体ロケットの開発を問いに据え、その答えとしてコア技術（固体ロケット燃料）の現状の課題（製造に長期間を要し高コストな上に量産できない）の解決に取り組んでいる。研究は多岐に渡るが、その中から実現可能性が高く、かつ費用対効果の高いチャレンジとして生み出されたのが、固体ロケットの常識を覆す「低融点熱可塑性推進薬(LTP: Low melting temperature Thermo-elastic Propellant)」である。LTPはこれまでの燃料と真逆の特性を持ち、製造期間を大幅に短縮することで低コストかつ量産が可能となる。