Japan's 'Space Shuttle' UAV: Successful Flight | 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-06.23.25

Airborne-NextGen-06.24.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.25.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-06.26.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.27.25

Tue, Nov 19, 2002

Japan's 'Space Shuttle' UAV: Successful Flight

Third Flight for Little Shuttle

It's just a scale model, and it weighs just 1600 pounds, but Japan's own reusable space vehicle is another step closer to reality because of it.

Looking like a squat Space Shuttle, the NASDA craft was propelled to 16,500 feet by an integral jet engine over the Pacific, on Christmas Island, Republic of Kiribati.

The power was chopped, and the 10-foot-wingspan UAV descended, making a successful landing, after eighteen minutes of flight.

The white machine, carrying the catch monicker "HSFD [High Speed Flight Demonstration] Vehicle #1," will eventually be scaled up to be a working, 20-ton, "real" shuttle.

This was the third flight of the small machine. Its actual scale is roughly 1:4, compared to the planned true space vehicle.

It is designed to portend a reusable, unmanned craft that could haul supplies or satellites into space, and return with garbage, scientific samples, or even, empty.

FMI: www.nasda.go.jp/projects/rockets/hsfd/index_e.html

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Prelim: Piper PA-23

Pilot Also Reported That Due To A Fuel Leak, The Auxiliary Fuel Tanks Were Not Used On June 4, 2025, at 13:41 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-23, N2109P, was substantially damage>[...]

ANN FAQ: Submit a News Story!

Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: One Man’s Vietnam

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Reflections on War’s Collective Lessons and Cyclical Nature The exigencies of war ought be colorblind. Inane social-constructs the likes of racis>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.03.25)

Aero Linx: Colorado Pilots Association (CPA) Colorado Pilots Association was incorporated as a Colorado Nonprofit Corporation in 1972. It is a statewide organization with over 700 >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.03.25): High Speed Taxiway

High Speed Taxiway A long radius taxiway designed and provided with lighting or marking to define the path of aircraft, traveling at high speed (up to 60 knots), from the runway ce>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

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