JAXA (& other Japanese) Launch and Discussion Thread

[kerbalxploder]

  On 5/4/2021 at 5:31 PM, YNM said:

Not sure, but probably mid-year or after, but probably not too close to the last quarter of the year for good reasons (wouldn't want to launch in a typhoon season I suppose). If they slip past that then it wouldn't be surprising for it to be well into the end of the year.

 

The last few further updates :

Removal of one of the engines to replace the turbopump :

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Caption :

極低温点検を終えたH3ロケットからLE-9エンジンの1基を機体から取外し、エンジン内に搭載されているターボポンプを取外して工場に返送する作業を行いました。LE-9エンジンのターボポンプはまだ開発中で、今回の極低温点検に用いたものは最終フライト形態ではありません。工場に持ち帰ったターボポンプをこの後フライト形態に改修します。
LE-9エンジンの取外し作業は起立している機体の直下で行われます。移動発射台（ML5）と固体ロケットブースタ（SRB-3）に囲まれた狭いスペースで作業を行うため、緊張の連続です。写真は、ノズル部分を外したLE-9エンジン燃焼器部分を機体から取外したところで、さらにこの後、LE-9エンジンからターボポンプを取外す作業も慎重に行いました。

Translation from GTranslate (it's roughly correct but I can't translate way too much stuff myself XD) :

We removed one LE-9 engine from the H3 rocket that had undergone cryogenic inspection, removed the turbo pump mounted in the engine, and returned it to the factory. The turbo pump for the LE-9 engine is still under development, and the one used for this cryogenic inspection is not the final flight form. The turbo pump brought back to the factory will be refurbished to a flight form after this. The LE-9 engine removal work is done directly under the standing aircraft. I'm constantly nervous because I work in a small space surrounded by a mobile launch pad (ML5) and a solid rocket booster (SRB-3). In the photo, the LE-9 engine combustor part with the nozzle part removed was removed from the fuselage, and after that, the turbo pump was carefully removed from the LE-9 engine.

Electromagnetic compatibility testing :

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Caption :

現在大型ロケット組立棟（VAB）の中では、H3ロケットの電磁的特性を計測するEMC（Electromagnetic Compatibility）試験を実施しています。同様の試験は工場でも実施しましたが、本番の打上げと同じ形態で地上設備と組み合わせた状態での確認を行っています。この試験ではロケット内にたくさんある電気機器に様々なセンサを取り付けて、ノイズ計測や電源の動作から電磁的な干渉等が無いことを確認しています。もし電磁的な干渉があると、機器が誤動作してしまう可能性があるため、とても大切な試験です。ロケットから無数のケーブルを伸ばして計測機器に接続して測定を行っている様子は、まるでロケットの健康診断をしているかのようです。

Translation from GTranslate :

Currently, in the Yoshinobu Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), we are conducting an EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) test to measure the electromagnetic characteristics of the H3 rocket. A similar test was conducted at the factory, but it is confirmed in the same form as the actual launch in combination with ground equipment. In this test, various sensors are attached to many electric devices inside the rocket, and it is confirmed that there is no electromagnetic interference from noise measurement and power supply operation. This is a very important test as it can cause the equipment to malfunction if there is electromagnetic interference. The appearance of extending innumerable cables from the rocket and connecting them to measuring equipment for measurement is as if a rocket was undergoing a medical examination.

 

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Wow, thanks for this.  Id love to do research independently, but I just don't seem to be able to gather information like you and a few others I know.

[Pipcard]

@alzayaniAR made a rough translation

 

[SOXBLOX]

That looks ambitious. Hopefully it happens.

[YNM]

Some recent activity :

H3 rocket testing continues, they tested the fairing last.

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Fairing Umbilical Separation Test

The fairing at the top of the launch vehicle is connected to the ground facilities by an orange duct until just before launch. This is called the fairing umbilical, and by supplying air through it, the temperature and humidity environment of the satellite inside the fairing is maintained at a constant level. The fairing umbilical is designed to detach from the satellite when it rises during launch, and this test was conducted to check if the satellite detaches as designed and if there are any problems with its behavior afterwards. The photo shows the aircraft just after take-off. Since this was a one-shot test, we used many cameras to record it, and were relieved when it successfully detached.

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Reverse VOS test

The VOS work on the test fairing was introduced in the "Picture of the Day" three months ago (March 10). This time, it was the other way around: after the cryogenic test, the test fairing was removed from the second stage of the launch vehicle and returned to the facility where the fairing is inspected and maintained (SFA2). In a normal launch, it is unlikely that we would have to do this work in the opposite direction, but we took the opportunity of the first test vehicle to verify each of them carefully so that we would not be troubled if it became necessary. The test fairing that was returned to SFA2 after a series of work verification and tests looked stronger than it did three months ago.

And it seems like an Epsilon rocket launch is also on the way, on Uchinoura Space Center (Kyushu Island) :

They're opening astronaut recruitment too (I think this has been a while, but the video is only recently up) :

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[SOXBLOX]

  On 6/11/2021 at 7:32 PM, YNM said:

Epsilon rocket

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A Japanese rocket named "Epsilon"? Why? Doesn't Japan have a perfectly good list of mythological and conceptual names?  They could have chosen something more significant than a letter of the Greek alphabet...

[YNM]

  On 6/11/2021 at 11:31 PM, SOXBLOX said:

Why? Doesn't Japan have a perfectly good list of mythological and conceptual names? 

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They actually do name their probes using their own words. For the rocket naming however it was just something they stuck with from back when they were doing solid sounding rockets (the other solid rocket names were Kappa, Lambda, and Mu - the Kappa they referred to is actually a mythological creature but is also accidentally a greek letter when transcribed). Epsilon is their fifth solid rocket design iteration (there were something else before the three I mentioned, but it's like barely better than hobby/model rocketry these days), hence the name.

Edited June 12, 2021 by YNM

[SunlitZelkova]

Would it be possible to build a super-heavy lift launch vehicle using existing Japanese rocket technology?

[tater]

  On 6/30/2021 at 9:36 PM, SunlitZelkova said:

Would it be possible to build a super-heavy lift launch vehicle using existing Japanese rocket technology?

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Not sure what the exact definition of "super Heavy" is, but their engines are hydrolox for HII and HIII, right? They could do a HIII heavy sorta like DIVH, I guess.

[YNM]

H3 maiden launch projected by the end of the year, they're still waiting to replace one of the first-stage LE-9 engine with the final production version (hence they've been disassembling the rocket in the VAB). Said engine was still undergoing testing. (I'll edit in twitter links here later, incl. the update photos they usually have every 2 weeks.)

EDIT : LE-9 engine final configuration testing :

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Edited August 7, 2021 by YNM

[tater]

 

[YNM]

MMX project mission overview (again) :

 

EDIT : Also, Epsilon 5 launch date has been set on October 1, 2021 :

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The main payload, RAISE-2 :

 

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by YNM

[YNM]

MMX video explaining what they're expecting from D-type asteroids :

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The Japanese version is notably different - instead it tries to explain what Phobos and Deimos is, but the content is the same.

 

 

Edited September 3, 2021 by YNM

[YNM]

Epsilon 5 rocket launch on October 1, 2021 :

They put up like a ton of videos on the thing over on their channel, I don't think the thread would survive all the embeds

 

EDIT : Today (October 1st 2021)'s launch attempt was suspended, apparently over problems on the GSE.

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Old livestream link, if anyone is interested (didn't catch this earlier since I didn't check their twitter and it's a different channel than the main one or the Sagamihara one).

 

Will have to look again when will they plan the next launch attempt.

Edited October 1, 2021 by YNM

[tater]

Another crack at this one in 75 minutes:

 

[tater]

Some sort of funky music came on

[tater]

Someone in chat said launch on 40 min?

Long wait for a bottle rocket

 

[tater]

 

 

[tater]

live in 90 min

[tater]

 

 

[tater]

2 min

Liftoff

SRB sep

[YNM]

Launched !

I suppose the weather is rather clear here because the typhoon is located quite a way away. Fairly often they'd "attract" other bad weather systems around into it, clearing the extended surroundings.

Edited October 26, 2021 by YNM

[tater]

Pretty launch site

[YNM]

Fairing sep

Switching to map (ground trajectory) view, no onboard cams I suppose.

Second stage staging

 

EDIT : I'm actually quite surprised by the  launch trajectory, as it differs quite a lot from the operational ground track... I suppose it takes quite a transfer orbit for it to reach final position.

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Compare with

The payload is a replacement for the QZS-1 satellite launched in 2010. QZS-1 through 3 goes on this orbit (different mean anomalies), QZS-4 is geostationary instead.

Edited October 26, 2021 by YNM

[tater]

Missed this launch just now, still live though:

 

[SunlitZelkova]

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211228_17/

Japan intends to send a Japanese astronaut to the lunar surface in the latter half of the 2020s as part of the Artemis program. Furthermore, it will study space based solar power.

I don't know how international crew assignments work. It is an American spacecraft, and JAXA astronauts undergo training at JSC, so in theory the NASA Chief of the Astronaut Office should have control, but at the same time, it is an American spacecraft, so they should have a say on who goes when.

The same situation applies to ESA and the Canadian Space Agency as well. I wonder how that works.

How is SLS looking right now? Can we predict how many will be available in the 2020s?

Artemis II* and III are probably ruled out. Artemis II* has one foreign astronaut from Canada, I find it unlikely another would be accepted. I personally can't see NASA accepting a foreign astronaut on the first mission to return to the lunar surface in over half a century, although you never know.

*As Artemis II is in 2024, I am expecting it to slip to 2025, which would qualify as the second half of the 2020s (the Japanese word used for the date was 後半 (latter half), implying 2025-2029)