. 24/7 Space News .
Mitsubishi Heavy To Invest In Next-Generation Rocket

The H-IIB's predecessor: the H-IIA. Image credit: Mitsubishi
by Staff Writers
Tokyo, Japan (AFX) Jun 14, 2006
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to spend a total of 5 billion yen ($44 million) to prepare facilities for manufacturing the next-generation H-IIB domestic rocket, scheduled for launch in fiscal 2008, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Tuesday.

The major heavy machinery manufacturer plans to modify and expand its welding facility for the rocket's fuel tanks at its main plant in Aichi Prefecture.

It will also construct a new building with floor space of about 900 square meters, scheduled to start operations in February 2007, on an adjacent plot of land. The firm is introducing a new friction-welding technology in order to make the H-IIB lighter.

At its Hiroshima Prefecture facility, the firm set aside space inside the plant so that it can start producing domes - key bowl-shaped parts that make up the top and bottom sections of fuel tanks - as early as this month, the report said.

Because these domes need to be processed into spherical shapes with a high degree of precision, the H-IIA rocket currently in operation relies on imports.

With a diameter of 5 meters (16,25 feet) and a length of 56 meters (182 feet), the larger H-IIB is expected to offer double the launch capability of the H-IIA. It will be able to carry two satellites at the same time or a large transfer vehicle to re-supply the International Space Station.

Japan's rocket launches have been handled by JAXA, which is under the control of the Science Ministry. But a new set-up taking effect in fiscal 2007 will allow Mitsubishi Heavy to receive orders for satellite launches from both the government and private sector.

In anticipation of this, Mitsubishi Heavy consolidated its rocket manufacturing operations earlier this fiscal year.

The H-IIB will be the first rocket in which the firm will be involved from the development stage onward.

While launching the H-IIA costs about 10 billion yen ($88 million), the H-IIB will be able to launch two satellites for an estimated 13 billion yen ($114 million). This will lower per-satellite launch costs to the level of U.S. and European firms, such as Arianespace, the report said.

Mitsubishi Heavy hopes to win orders for launching commercial satellites, which is a new area for the firm, it added.

Related Links
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Irvin Aerospace to Develop CEV Airbags For NASA
Santa Ana CA (SPX) Jun 13, 2006
Irvin Aerospace announced Monday it has been awarded a five-year NASA contract to develop an advanced space capsule airbag landing attenuation system for its Crew Exploration Vehicle.







  • Optimize Trade Study Analyses With Software From Phoenix Integration And AGI
  • Stephen Hawking Calls For Mankind To Reach For Stars
  • TPS Enables Study Of Mysterious Pioneer Anomaly
  • One For The Record Books Malaysian Heads Into Space

  • Spirit Finds Possible Iron Meteorite
  • British Scientists Unveil Latest Craft To Search For Life On Mars
  • Aeroflex Awarded Mars Science Lab Contracts
  • An Ancient Martian Caldera In Apollinaris Patera

  • Sea Launch Awarded Assignment For Thuraya-3 Satellite
  • Sea Launch To Orbit Telecom Satellite June 17
  • NASA Picks Atlas V To Launch Mars Science Laboratory Mission
  • Sea Launch Prepares For Galaxy 16 Liftoff

  • NASA Detector Sees Infrared Light In Colors
  • CALIPSO All Set To Collect Most Detailed Atmospheric Data Yet
  • Land Use Mapped In Philippines
  • EarthData Wins 16 Million Contract To Map Papua New Guinea

  • New Horizons Crosses The Asteroid Belt
  • Trio Of Neptunes And Their Belt
  • New Model Could Explain Eccentric Triton Orbit
  • New Horizons Taking Exploration To Edge Of Sol

  • XMM-Newton Spots Greatest Ball Of Fire
  • Young Supernova Remnants Not Dusty Enough
  • Group Living Takes A Toll On Galaxies
  • Astronomers Find Most Distant Galaxy Cluster Yet

  • Shanghai Lands Star Role In Satellite Mission
  • The Sky Is Falling
  • SMART-1 Captures Central Peaks Of Zucchius Crater
  • Lunar Highlands And Mare Landscapes

  • Saft To Supply Li-ion Batteries For Galileo Satellites
  • GPS Phones To Streamline And Add Content
  • Lockheed Martin And EADS To Cooperate On Satellite Navigation Standards
  • QinetiQ Joins Galileo Development

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement