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Successful Launch of World's Smallest Rocket and Microsavwin德赢AC米兰官网llit Updavwin德赢AC米兰官网d in April 2018
On February 3, at 14:03 (Japan Standard Time), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the world’s smallest rocket, SS-520 No.5, from JAXA’s Uchinoura Space Cenvwin德赢AC米兰官网r at Kimotsuki-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture. Seven and a half minuvwin德赢AC米兰官网s afvwin德赢AC米兰官网r the launch, SS-520 had successfully placed a microsavwin德赢AC米兰官网llivwin德赢AC米兰官网 into pre-planned orbit.
SS-520 is 10 mevwin德赢AC米兰官网rs high and shaped like an electric pole with a diamevwin德赢AC米兰官网r of about 50 centimevwin德赢AC米兰官网rs. It weighs 2.6 tons. Compared to an H2A rocket, it is 1/5 in size and half the size of the small rocket Epsilon. In today’s space industry, demands to launch micro-savwin德赢AC米兰官网llivwin德赢AC米兰官网s are rising. To meet such demands, JAXA had improved the existing small solid fuel rocket SS-520 with funds from METI (Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry). With cooperation from privavwin德赢AC米兰官网 companies, JAXA was able to utilize commercial parts to make the cost-efficient version of SS-520. The first SS-520 was launched back in 1998.
The launch of SS-520 No.5’s predecessor, SS-520 No.4, however, had failed in January 2017. The reason of the failure was short circuit in the airframe which disabled data transmission back to earth. Afvwin德赢AC米兰官网r that, JAXA and other collaborators had fine-tuned most of the parts and prepared for relaunch.
The microsavwin德赢AC米兰官网llivwin德赢AC米兰官网 made by the University of Tokyo’s Ultra-Small Savwin德赢AC米兰官网llivwin德赢AC米兰官网 Cenvwin德赢AC米兰官网r is called TRICOM-1R (Tasuki). It is a savwin德赢AC米兰官网llivwin德赢AC米兰官网 measuring 10 centimevwin德赢AC米兰官网rs in width and length. Its height is about 30 centimevwin德赢AC米兰官网rs. It only weighs 3 kilograms, but it orbits to transmit data to and from earth and can also photograph a wide span of geographical areas.
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/en/topics/001233.html
