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Succeeded in the combustion test of a liquid methane engine in the "ASCA hopper mission," a small rocket takeoff and landing test, becoming the fourth private company in Japan to do so.

April 16th, 2025 by admin_innovative

INNOVATIVE SPACE CARRIER INC.(CHUO-KU, TOKYO; CEO; KOJIRO HATADA, HEREAFTER REFERRED TO AS "ISC") IS "A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE AND CARGO ARE DELIVERED EVERY DAY. WE ARE A START-UP COMPANY THAT AIMS TO REALIZE A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM THAT MAKES SPACE POSSIBLE. ( REUSABLE) IS A START-UP COMPANY THAT AIMS TO REALIZE A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM THAT MAKES SPACE POSSIBLE.

We are pleased to announce that we have successfully conducted a combustion test of a liquid methane engine in the "ASCA hopper" mission, a small rocket takeoff and landing test designed for space reusable.

Outline of the "ASCA hopper mission

The ASCA hopper mission is the first test for the ASCA project, a reusable space reusable aircraft developed by ISC.

The mission aims to develop a small rocket takeoff and landing test vehicle "ASCA hopper" to confirm the three elements of rocket engine combustion, vehicle takeoff and landing, and inspection and maintenance necessary for reuse, and to develop reusable rockets for the subsequent small satellite launch vehicle "ASCA 1" and human space transportation vehicle "ASCA 2. The objective is to acquire the capability

Successful combustion test of liquid methane engine

The engine used in the test is a liquid-fuel rocket engine that uses liquid methane as propellant and liquid oxygen as oxidizer.　


The first test was conducted in September 2024 to confirm the performance of the engine, but it failed to ignite and the data necessary to confirm performance could not be obtained.

Subsequently, we investigated the cause and took countermeasures, and conducted tests from March 12 (Wed.) to March 18 (Tue.), 2025, in Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture, achieving the expected results.

The flame color of methane is usually blue, but it is orange due to the insulation inside the combustor

As a result of the combustion test, the propellant flow rate and valve open/close timing during the ignition sequence were changed to confirm the conditions under which ignition is possible.

After confirming ignition, tests were conducted a total of six times under conditions in which the combustion time and thrust were raised in stages, and as a result, a combustion time of 8.3 seconds and a thrust of 4.3 kN (kilonewtons) were achieved.

The successful combustion test of the liquid methane engine is the fourth publicly announced case of a private company in Japan.

FOLLOWED BY THE SMALL SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLE "ASCA 1" AND THE HUMAN SPACE TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE "ASCA 2

BASED ON THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THIS TEST, WE WILL FURTHER IMPROVE THE DEVELOPMENT CAPABILITY OF THE REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE FOR THE SUBSEQUENT SMALL SATELLITE LAUNCHER "ASCA 1" AND THE HUMAN SPACE TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE "ASCA 2".

Others Reference photo

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