--- title: "Japan Tests Exploding Rocket Engine for the First Time in Space" description: "Japan's space agency JAXA has successfully tested the world's first 'rotary detonation engine'. Read about the exploding rocket engine here." date: "2021-08-19" modified: "2021-08-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/japan-tests-exploding-rocket-engine-first-time-space" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "JAXA" - "rocket engines" - "rotary detonation engine" - "the digest" --- # Japan Tests Exploding Rocket Engine for the First Time in Space ![Japan's space agency JAXA has announced that is has successfully demonstrated the operation of a "rotary detonation engine" in space, a world's first.]() *\Image: JAXA\* ## Ring of Explosions Japan's space agency JAXA [has announced]() that is has successfully demonstrated the operation of a "rotary detonation engine" in space, a world's first. Such an engine uses a series of controlled explosions that travel around a circular channel at its base. The result is a massive amount of thrust coming from a much smaller engine using significantly less fuel — a potential game changer for deep space exploration, according to JAXA. It's a lucrative endeavor and Japan isn't the only country pursuing the idea. [Researchers]() [across the US]() are testing out the technology to make rockets both lighter and more environmentally friendly. ## Sounding Success On July 27, JAXA launched a 30-foot sounding rocket from the Uchinoura Space Center to test a pair of futuristic propulsion systems at an altitude of about 146 miles. After recovering the rocket from the ocean, JAXA engineers pored over the data and found that their experiment was a success. After first stage separation, the rocket kicked off the test demonstrations, burning the rotary engine for six seconds, while a second "pulse detonation engine" — a not dissimilar system that uses detonation waves to burn fuel and oxidizer — operated for two seconds on three occasions. The rotary engine produced about 500 Newtons of thrust, only a fraction of what conventional rocket engines are capable of. According to the agency however, their successful in-space test is proof that rotating detonation engines could indeed allow us to travel deep into space using a fraction of the fuel and weight. "We will aim to put the technology into practical use in about five years,"Jiro Kasahara, a Nagoya University professor who is working on the technology with JAXA, [told the *Japan Times*]() last month. **READ MORE:** [Successful space demonstration experiment of detonation engine for deep space exploration by sounding rocket S-520-31]() \[JAXA\] **More on rotary detonation engines:** *[Scientists Build Rocket Engine Powered by Spiraling Explosions]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()