On May 2019, 5, a sounding rocket developed by a domestic company alone reached outer space for the first time.The rocket is equipped with a small GPS receiver developed by Chubu University.Accurate position measurement confirmed the arrival in space.
This sounding rocket "MOMO" No. 3 was developed by Interstellar Technologies Inc., a rocket development venture founded in 1997 by businessman Takafumi Horie and others.The aircraft was launched from the company's experimental site at 5:4 on May 5.The engine burned normally for about 45 seconds, and reached the universe 120 kilometers above the ground about 240 seconds later.After that, it landed on the surface of the sea several tens of kilometers away from the launch position.The flight experiment was successful.
The rocket is equipped with a receiver for the Global Positioning System (GPS).It was developed by Associate Professor Masashi Ebinuma of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chubu University, and the name is "Firefly" (meaning firefly).As a result, we succeeded in accurately measuring the position of MOMO No. 3, which has a large change in speed during flight, and informing the ground control station of the arrival of space at an altitude of 100 km in real time.
The GPS receiver is a stamp size of 22 mm in length, 17 mm in width, and 3 mm in thickness.Improved for low-priced car navigation systems to expand usage.The proprietary algorithm can accurately capture radio waves from GPS satellites even if the speed of the rocket changes suddenly.
Currently, the demand for launching microsatellite is increasing, and competition for small rocket development by private companies is intensifying.However, although ground radar is usually used for rocket positioning, it is difficult for private companies to construct and maintain their own expensive radar stations.Therefore, the small GPS receiver developed by Chubu University is expected to replace the conventional ground radar.
