“f3 Engineering” Project and Development of Hybrid Kick-motor for Small Deep Space Probes

Divisions related to Mechanical and Space Engineering at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan, are launching the F-cube Engineering program next fiscal year, collaborating with the Muroran Institute of Technology. F-cube stands for three keywords: engineering in Frontiers, using spacious Fields in Hokkaido, and developing Final products. The center covers development projects relating to aerospace and marine engineering. A purpose is to provide students with opportunities to learn systems engineering. A core project in this program is the development of a hybrid kick-motor for small deep-space probes. The plan is to go geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) by share riding. GTO is very close to deep-space. For example, a transfer to Mars flyby orbit from GTO is possible by about 1.2 km velocity increment. The kick-motor employs high-density polyethylene as solid fuel and nitrous oxide as a liquid oxidizer. Verification firing tests of an engineering model motor will take place in this fiscal year, followed by flight-model motor firing tests in the next fiscal year. In this talk, Prof. Harunori Nagata, Vice Dean Faculty of Engineering at Hokkaido University, introduces the F-cube Engineering program and brief the audience on the Hybrid Kick-motor for Small Deep Space Probes. 
 
Harunori NAGATA is a Professor, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Japan. He is the inventor of CAMUI-type hybrid rocket and a well-recognized pioneer of hybrid rocket launches in Japan. The Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences (JSASS), The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineering (JSME), and Combustion Society of Japan have honored him for his contributions to hybrid rocket developments. Recently CAMUI-type hybrid rockets developed by his group play an important role as a small-scale rocket experiment tool due to the simplified safety management requirements and high reliability. From 2015 to 2019, He was the chairman of the advisory committee for space engineering in ISAS, JAXA. From 2012 to 2018, He was the president of UNISEC (University Space Engineering Consortium), a non-profitable organization to support practical space development activities in universities and colleges. UNISEC-global was organized in 2013 and recognized as a UN-COPUOS Permanent Observer in 2017.

References:
Prof. H. Nagata’s personal page
Laboratory of Space Systems
UNISEC-Global