The launcher is 35 metres long, 6 metres tall and stands 26 metres tall when fully erect.

Two experiments will be held this month at Mach 8 (eight times the speed of sound, or about 8000km/hour) to test scramjets — types of very fast jet engines.

This month at Woomera, the HyShot III program will test an engine for British aerospace company QinetiQ (March 24), while HyShot IV, a collaboration between UQ and JAXA, will provide more extensive pressure and temperature measurements than previous flights (March 28).

UQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor David Siddle welcomed JAXA's generous donation.

"The gift of the launcher and the HyShot flights are significant examples of scientists collaborating across international boundaries to further new flight technologies," Professor Siddle said.

"The gift will assist the University to conduct hypersonics experiments and also help train the next generation of mechanical and space engineering scientists.

"We will have three UQ PhD students and a Master of Philosophy student learning from international leaders during the flight campaign, a unique opportunity for any postgraduate student."

HyShot program leader Professor Allan Paull said the University's Centre for Hypersonics and JAXA had a 15-year relationship in which good scientific rapport had been developed.

"JAXA scientists, including Dr Hideyuki Tanno and Mr Masahiro Takahashi have undertaken postdoctoral fellowships in fields such as mass spectrometry and skin friction measurements at UQ, while UQ is working closely with Dr Tetsuji Sunami of JAXA's Combined Propulsion Group on the HyShot IV program," he said.

"It's a two-way flow as UQ graduate Dr Scott Rowan is now working with JAXA in Japan on skin friction reduction techniques."

The donated launcher was used in last year's successful test at Woomera of the JAXA National Experimental Supersonic Transport (NEXST-1) at Mach 2 (on October 10, 2005). The NEXST-1 is an experimental prototype technology for a new plane to replace the Concorde, the world's first supersonic jetliner, which has now been retired. The Australian test was to verify this technology by launching a small non-powered experimental airplane to glide at supersonic speed by a rocket.

HyShot team members chief engineer Dr Hans Alesi and Myles Frost, PhD student Rainer Kirchhartz and volunteer technician Joe Gisa are adapting the launch rail on the launcher for the HyShot flights. Dr Alesi, who is the HyShot chief engineer, has designed the rail to accommodate the Terrier-Orion rocket combination which will carry the scramjet experimental payloads. North Queensland businessman Mr Don Fry of Aimtek Pty Ltd has built the rail and Professor Paull and Ms Lisa Jensen of HyShot have placed the controlling hardware on the launcher.

Main attendees from JAXA at the signing ceremony in Tokyo were:

• Dr Kimio SAKATA, Executive Director of JAXA • Dr Kazuo SUZUKI, Director of Program Management and Integration Department of ISTA (Institute of Space Technology and Aeronautics) • Mr Norimitsu KAMIMORI, Manager of Program and Planning Office of ISTA • Mr Yasumasa OHKADO, Manager of Program and Planning Office of ISTA • Dr Takeshi OHNUKI, Manager for Supersonic Transport Team of Aviation Program Group • Dr Tetsuji SUNAMI, Asociate Senior Researcher of Combined Propulsion Group of ISTA

About Scramjets

Scramjets are air-breathing supersonic combustion ramjet engines. They raise the possibility of Sydney to London two-hour flights. However, their main application will be the launch of small space payloads, such as communications satellites, by substantially lowering costs. They have the added benefit that they do not even have to carry most of their propellant as they use oxygen from the atmosphere. While the experiments will be at 8000km/hr, in contrast, a conventional jet plane flies at about 10 times less that speed, at about 800km per hour.

Related Links
University of Queensland
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