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S-520

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Status: Active. First Launch: 1980-01-18. Last Launch: 2015-09-11. Number: 31 . Thrust: 143.00 kN (32,147 lbf). Gross mass: 2,300 kg (5,000 lb). Unfuelled mass: 400 kg (880 lb). Burn time: 29 s. Height: 9.00 m (29.50 ft). Diameter: 0.52 m (1.70 ft). Apogee: 430 km (260 mi).

The S-520 was developed to replace the K-9M and K-10 type sounding rockets, and succeeded in doubling the payload capability of the K-9M by applying high-performance propellant, an optimum thrust program and a lightweight structure. The thrust program and stabilization strategy of the earlier S-310 was adopted, which had delivered stable flight performance since its first flight early in 1980.

The S-520 offered simplified flight operations since staging was eliminated, reduction of impact-related maritime safety, and reduction of launch cost.

The HTPB composite propellant grain was cast and molded in the case in the same way as the first stage of Mu launch vehicles. The single propellant grain provided a dual-thrust profile similar to the S-310's. The forward portion of the grain had a seven pointed gear configuration, resulting in an initial period of high thrust, while the aft portion of the grain had a simple tubular design for a sustained lower level thrust period. The nozzle's expansion ratio of 8:1 was designed to improve the effective specific impulse. The chamber was made of high tensile steel HT-140. For weight saving and heat resistance, the leading edges of the tail fins were made of titanium alloy and their body was an aluminum honeycomb sandwich plate with composite laminated surface plates.

Scientific instruments were stored inside a composite nose fairing, and common instruments just below. As an option, an attitude control module or recovery module could be installed between the common instruments and the rocket motor.

The fourth flight carried out payload retrieval, and the third flight, launched later than the fourth, performed attitude control of the nose by a hydrazine side jet system. The attitude outside the atmosphere normally was stabilized by a 2.2 deg/sec spin induced by the canted tail fins of the first stage. In this mission the last stage was despun using a yo-yo system.

• Heat Pipe Aeronomy / ionosphere mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 329 km (204 mi).

• TPE-2 Ionosphere / tether mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 323 km (200 mi).

• Payload recovery rest / ionosphere mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 224 km (139 mi).

• 0.3m telescope test Ultraviolet astronomy mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 266 km (165 mi).

• 0.1m telescope Solar extreme ultraviolet mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 237 km (147 mi).

• MINIX Plasma physics mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 238 km (147 mi).

• Aeronomy / ionosphere mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 362 km (224 mi).

• E field Ionosphere / aeronomy mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 365 km (226 mi).

• GUV Ultraviolet astronomy mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 286 km (177 mi).

• CIR Cosmic infrared Infrared astronomy mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 288 km (178 mi).

• CIR Infrared astronomy mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 317 km (196 mi).

• Auroral mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 369 km (229 mi).

• Auroral mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 353 km (219 mi).

• Extreme ultraviolet Telescopes Extreme ultraviolet astronomy mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 337 km (209 mi).

• CIR Infrared astronomy mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 338 km (210 mi).

• METS Ionosphere / active plasma mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 272 km (169 mi).

• Auroral mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 344 km (213 mi).

• Submillimeter radio astronomy mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 346 km (214 mi).

• Extreme ultraviolet Telescopes Extreme ultraviolet astronomy mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 330 km (200 mi).

• Lunar Penetrator test technology mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi).

• Lunar Penetrator test technology mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 309 km (192 mi).

• SOLAR-B XDT Solar x-ray / ultraviolet mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 270 km (160 mi).

• ENA / EPS / LAP Test / plasma mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 750 km (460 mi).

• Ionosphere mission - . Nation: Japan. Agency: ISAS. Apogee: 1,108 km (688 mi).

• WIND - . Nation: Japan. Agency: JAXA. Apogee: 300 km (180 mi).

• Microgravity - . Nation: Japan. Agency: JAXA. Apogee: 293 km (182 mi).

• S-520-25 - . Nation: Japan. Agency: JAXA. Apogee: 309 km (192 mi).

  T-REX Tether Technology Rocket Experiment. The 580 kg payload consisted of three parts: 'mother' and 'daughter' spacecraft connected by a 300-meter-long electrodynamic tether; and the small Tethered Space Robot connected to the daughter. Fell into Pacific Ocean after a ten-minute zero-G flight.

• S-520-26 - . Nation: Japan. Apogee: 298 km (185 mi). Atmospheric science payload..

• S-520-28 - . Nation: Japan. Apogee: 312 km (193 mi). Microgravity experiments..

• S-520-27 - . Nation: Japan. Apogee: 316 km (196 mi). Atmospheric science mission..

• S-520-29 - . Nation: Japan. Apogee: 243 km (150 mi). Payload studied the sporadic E layer in the ionosphere..

• Sporadic E study - . Nation: Japan. Agency: JAXA. Apogee: 243 km (150 mi).

• S-520-30 - . Nation: Japan. Apogee: 312 km (193 mi). Physics mission. Impacted Phillipine Sea..

• TRICOM-1 - . Nation: Japan. Class: Technology. Type: Technology satellite. Spacecraft: Cubesat. COSPAR: 2017-0F01. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi). Perigee: -6,340 km (-6,340 mi). Inclination: 30.00 deg.

  See TRICOM 1. Japan attempted to launch a single cubesat into orbit with a launch vehicle massing less than 3 tonnes. The SS-520 sounding rocket was furnished with a 78 kg third stage which was intended to orbit a 3U, 3 kg cubesat, TRICOM-1. The mission was flight SS-520-4 (SS-520-1 and 2 were normal sounding rocket flights; 3 has not yet flown.) However, telemetry was lost 20 seconds into flight, during first stage burn. Following range safety rules, the command to ignite stage 2 was not sent and the vehicle flew a suborbital path to about 200 km altitude and then splashed down in the ocean. The record smallest successful orbital launch vehicle remains the 9.4-tonne Lambda 4S, also Japanese, which was retired in 1979.

• Tasuki - . Payload: TRICOM-1R; TRICOM-1R (TASUKI). Nation: Japan. USAF Sat Cat: 43201 . COSPAR: 2018-016A. Apogee: 256 km (159 mi). Perigee: 143 km (88 mi). Inclination: 30.94 deg. Period: 88.48 min. See TRICOM 1R (Tasuki). ..