Japanese Rocket Over Weight Limit | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-12.08.25

AirborneNextGen-
12.09.25

Airborne-Unlimited-12.10.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-12.11.25

AirborneUnlimited-12.12.25

AFE 2025 LIVE MOSAIC Town Hall (Archived): www.airborne-live.net

Mon, Jul 07, 2003

Japanese Rocket Over Weight Limit

GX Rocket Goes On Diet

How to lose 1800 pounds fast and permanently. Sounds like a late-night TV ad, right? Well, it's a real issue for engineers behind the new Japanese GX rocket.

The Kyodo News Agency reports the joint Japanese-US project came in almost a ton overweight because of changes to its fuel tanks.

The solution?

Alter the fuel system, according to GX engineers. The current theory is, if you make the fuel system more simple, it'll have fewer parts. If it has fewer parts, it'll weigh less.

The first stage of the new rocket will be produced at Lockheed-Martin here in the US. The engine is from Russia and the second stage is being manufactured in Japan. The GX will use natural gas as a first-stage propellant -- a worldwide first. But therein lies the rub. Reinforcing the tanks to add enough natural gas capacity for the GX to reach orbit simply cost too much in terms of weight.

Is there a Japanese space agency version of Weight Watchers?

FMI: www.nasda.go.jp

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (12.13.25): Light Gun

Light Gun A handheld directional light signaling device which emits a brilliant narrow beam of white, green, or red light as selected by the tower controller. The color and type of>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (12.13.25)

“We have performed extensive ground testing by comparing warm up times, full power tethered pulls, and overall temperatures in 100 degree environments against other aircraft >[...]

NTSB Final Report: Gippsland GA-8

While Taxiing To Parking The Right Landing Gear Leg Collapsed, Resulting In Substantial Damage Analysis: The pilot made a normal approach with full flaps and landed on the runway. >[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Historically Unique -- Marlin Horst's Exquisite Fairchild 71

From 2014 (YouTube Edition): Exotic Rebuild Reveals Aerial Work Of Art During EAA AirVenture 2014, ANN's Michael Maya Charles took the time to get a history lesson about a great ai>[...]

Airborne 12.12.25: Global 8000, Korea Pilot Honors, AV-30 Update

Also: Project Talon, McFarlane Acquisition, Sky-Tec Service, JPL Earth Helo Tests Bombardier has earned a round of applause from the business aviation community, celebrating the fo>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC