Taiki Town, is pleased to announce that the Tokai Student Rocket Project (TSRP), a student rocket project of Tokai University, conducted a hybrid rocket launch teste in Taiki Town on March 11, 2026.
The primary objective of this experiment was to demonstrate the performance of a decagonal parachute designed to establish a stable vehicle recovery system for future high-altitude launches. The launch was successful and the parachute deployed. However, the parachute did not perform as intended. Based on these outcomes, TSRP will continue its development efforts toward reaching space, defined as an altitude of 100 km or higher. Since 2004, TSRP has conducted launch experiments in Taiki Town, and this marks the 31st rocket launch carried out in the town.
Taiki Town currently host approximately 40 aerospace-related experiments annually at Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO) and surrounding areas. They remain committed to providing an environment conducive to research and testing activities, thereby contributing to the advancement of the aerospace industry and the development of future talent.
Test Overview
- Test Date: March 11, 2026
- Location: Farm road in Bisei, Taiki Town, Hiroo, Hokkaido
- Objective: Technology demonstration of a decagonal parachute designed to establish a stable vehicle recovery system for future high-altitude launches.
- Result: The launch was successful, reaching an altitude of 156.6 meters. Although the parachute deployed, it did not perform as designed. Flight data and the recovered vehicle will be analyzed and used in the development of the next vehicle.
Rocket Specifications
- Name: Hybrid Rocket No. 63 (TSRP H-63)
- Airframe: Modular structure primarily composed of GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic) tubing
- Engine: Solid wax fuel with liquefied nitrous oxide oxidizer
- Length: 1.6 meters
- Diameter: 154 mm
- Dry Weight: 11 kg
- 乾燥重量：11kg
About Tokai Student Rocket Project (TSRP)
- Faculty Advisor: Yo Kawabata, Junior Associste Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics School of Engineering, Tokai University
- Student Leader: Rino Saito, 2nd-year student, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science
- Location: 4-1-1 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, Japan
- Overview: Founded in 1995, TSRP aims to provide students aspiring to become space engineers with practical knowledge and technical experience. The project conducts two launches annually, one at the Noshiro Space Event in Akita and one in Taiki Town. To date, TSRP has conducted a total of 43 rocket launches.
- Website: https://tsrp.shn.u-tokai.ac.jp/jp/
About Taiki Town
- Representative: Yutaka Kurokawa, Mayor
- Location: 33 Higashihondori, Taiki Town, Hiroo, Hokkaido, Japan
- Overview: A town with a population of 5,200 where agriculture, fishing, and forestry are the core industries. The town was recognized as suitable as a base for aerospace in 1984, and for over 40 years since then, the town has been promoting itself as a space town. In 2022, construction began on Launch Complex 1 (LC1), a new orbital launch site. The goal is to create an aerospace industry hub and ecosystem with Hokkaido Spaceport as its core.
- Website: https://www.town.taiki.hokkaido.jp/
About Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO)
HOSPO is a commercial spaceport open to the private sector, located in Taiki, Japan. For over 40 years, Taiki Town has sought to be home to the aerospace industry and is regarded as one of the most suitable locations for a world-class spaceport, thanks to its considerable geographic advantages: open seas to the east and south for launch trajectories and expansive land for future site expansion.
HOSPO’s suborbital launch site, Launch Complex 0 (LC0), is already operational, with private launch vehicles having reached space three times to date.
To realize its vision of creating a “Space Silicon Valley,” development is underway on a new orbital launch site, Launch Complex 1 (LC1). Future plans include Launch Complex 2 (LC2) for high-frequency launches, Launch Complex X (LCX) for larger and human-rated launch vehicles, and a new 3,000-meter runway for point-to-point transportation (P2P).
In October 2024, Taiki Town and SPACE COTAN signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), committing to expand international spaceport collaboration with eight commercial spaceports located across five continents. In order to meet the growing demand for launches, SPACE COTAN will explore potential strategic partnerships aimed at establishing international spaceport standards.
Furthermore, SPACE COTAN was selected in January 2025 for the Japanese government’s Space Strategy Fund and will use the funding to develop ground-based technologies that support high-frequency launches of various launch vehicles. In another milestone, in July 2025, jtSPACE Co., Ltd., a Japanese sister company of Taiwanese firm TiSPACE Inc., conducted the nation’s first suborbital rocket launch funded by foreign capital at HOSPO.
