Noshiro Rocket Testing Center

Noshiro Rocket Testing Center

能代ロケット実験場
Location within
Noshiro Rocket testing site
Agency overview
Formed	1962
Jurisdiction	Japanese government
Headquarters	Noshiro, Akita, Japan
Parent agency	JAXA
Website	home page

The is a facility of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the city of Noshiro in Akita Prefecture, Japan.

History

The Noshiro Rocket Testing Center (NTC) was established in 1962 as one of the affiliated facilities of the Institute of Industrial Science of the University of Tokyo, which became the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) in 1964. The testing center was involved in the development and testing of sounding rockets and the solid-fuel rocket engines which were used on the Mu series of launch vehicles.

From 1975, the Noshiro Testing Center was involved in the research, development and testing of liquid-fuel rocket engines. With the M-V launch vehicle program, the facilities were extensively upgraded with a large solid motor air combustion test building and an upper motor high altitude performance test facility completed by 1992. The static firing test for the M-V rocket engines took place at Noshiro.

In addition, a successful static test firing of the ATREX, an experimental precooled jet engine that works as a turbojet at low speeds and a ramjet up to Mach 6.0 occurred in 1992. From 1998, the site has been active in the Reusable Vehicle Testing program to develop an air-breathing engine which uses less fuel than a rocket and can therefore transport a larger payload.

References

• Harvey, Brian. Emerging Space Powers: The New Space Programs of Asia, the Middle East and South America. Springer (2011) Template:ISBN
• Spagnulo, Marcello. Space Program Management: Methods and Tools. Springer (2102) Template:ISBN

External links

• JAXA official home page
• JAXA brochure on Noshiro Test Center