[1P01-32] Poster session

[1P27] SX-ARK by Space Strategy Fund: Importance of vacuum and molecular beam technology as a key technology for very low Earth orbit (VLEO) development

*Masahito Tagawa¹, Kumiko Yokota¹, Hideyuki Usui², Yohei Miyake², Michio Okada³, Minoru Iwata⁴, Akitaka Yoshigoe⁵, Yasutaka Tsuda⁵, Junichiro Kamiya⁶, Yuko Morohashi⁶ (1. Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University (Japan), 2. Graduate School of System Informatics, Kobe University (Japan), 3. Institute of Radiation Sciences, The University of Osaka (Japan), 4. Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology (Japan), 5. SPring-8, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (Japan), 6. J-PARC, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (Japan))

With the rapid expansion of the space business and increasing security demands, it has become crucial for Japan to independently establish Earth observation and communication satellite constellations in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) below 300 km. However, operating satellites in VLEO, where atmospheric density is significantly higher, requires technologies different from conventional satellite operations, triggering an international competition in technological development. Supported by the Space Strategic Fund, our group is conducting a three-year project to develop three essential technologies for VLEO satellite operations: (1) development of an air-breathing ion engine, (2) VLEO computational wind tunnel using a hyperthermal molecular beam scattering data, and (3) development of material degradation mitigation measures against ultra-high-density atomic oxygen. This presentation introduces the overall structure of the project, focusing on the sections utilizing molecular beam and vacuum technologies.

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