Current Status of Rocket Developments in Universities -Development of a Small Hybrid Rocket with a Swirling Oxidizer Flow Type Engine

To develop an experimental small hybrid rocket with a swirling gaseous oxygen flow type engine, we made a flight model engine. Burning tests of the engine showed that a maximum thrust of 692 N and a specific impulse of 263 s (at sea level) were achieved. We designed a small hybrid rocket with this engine. The rocket measured 1.8 m in length and 15.4 kg in mass. To confirm the flight stability of the rocket, wind tunnel tests using a 112-scale model of the rocket and simulations of the flight attitude and trajectory were carried out. A flight test was conducted at Taiki-cho, Hokkaido, Japan on March 2001. The rocket reached an altitude of about 600 m, thus recording the first successful flight of a hybrid rocket in Japan. For the next stage, future issues to develop larger hybrid rockets using a swirling liquid oxygen flow type engine are discussed, and preliminary burning tests of the engine have been carried out