NPO Showa Gakuen (Headquarters: Tokyo, Principal: Hiroaki Ito), an organization dedicated to special support education, launched the largest pet bottle rocket (Largest water rocket) at the Hokkaido Space Port (HOSPO) in Taiki, Hokkaido on August 2, 2022. The 7.72-meter-long rocket reached an altitude of 16.78 meters, breaking the previous world record of 4.04 meters held by a Canadian TV program. They will now submit evidence to Guinness World Records™ and await official certification.
■ Experiment Overview
Showa Gakuen develops various educational programs tailored to each student’s individuality to nurture their “will to live,” and one of these programs is the creation and launching of giant pet bottle rockets.
In March of this year, they attempted a launch at HOSPO, but the rocket only reached a height of 3 meters. This time, they spent four months completely improving the pet bottle engine and the original nozzle (injection port) and made another attempt at the world record.
The rocket materials were made of styrofoam and pet bottles, and 16 students participated in its construction. The rocket measures 7 meters in length and 0.72 meters in diameter, with seven pet bottles attached as the engine.
The experiment was conducted three times starting at 2:30 pm, with the third launch being successful. When the rocket was successfully launched, the watching students let out cheers.