Interstellar Technologies’ cow-dung fuelled rocket engine successfully launched for 10 seconds.
ADVERTISEMENTJapan’s space sector has been plagued by hiccups with two failed missions in recent years and mishaps with rocket launches twice this year alone.
Putting its recent setbacks behind it, the country might soon begin a new chapter in its space industry thanks to an unlikely source.
The start-up Interstellar Technologies is testing a prototype rocket engine that runs on biofuel derived purely from cow dung.
Teaming up with industrial gas producer firm Air Water, Interstellar Technologies hopes to eventually be able to put satellites in space using the fuel.
In a recent experiment in December, its engine prototype blasted out a blue-and-orange flame 10-15 metres horizontally out of an open hangar door for around 10 seconds in the rural northern town of Taiki.
The liquid "biomethane" required was made entirely from gas derived from cow manure from two local dairy farms, Interstellar Technologies said.
"We are trying to build small rockets that can be launched frequently, not just once. In this sense, making fuel with low environmental impact means we can build a rocket with low environmental impact. In this way, we can build a new generation rocket system,” said Interstellar Technologies CEO Takahiro Inagawa.
"I do not think it is an exaggeration to assume this will be replicated... all over the world," he added.
Its partner industrial gas producer Air Water works with local farmers who have equipment on their farms to process their cow dung into biogas which it collects and turns into rocket fuel.
“We are doing this not just because it is good for the environment but because it can be produced locally, it is very cost-effective, and it is a fuel with high performance and high purity," said Inagawa.
One of the participating local farms owns some 900 milk cows that collectively generate over 40 tonnes of dung every day.
It has an industrial system to automatically collect the waste, ferment it, and turn it into biogas, fertiliser and recycled bedding materials for the cows.
Sales of biogas raise the farm's income by about one per cent.
"I'm excited to think that our cow waste could be used to make it [the rocket] fly," said the farm’s owner Eiji Mizushita.
"We need to properly dispose of and use manure. I also think that the government and society should take a more serious look at the importance of natural renewable energy and encourage its production," he added.
Biogas derived from cow manure is already making strides globally. It is powering buses in India's western city Indore.
The climate-friendly fuel helps mitigate the enormous environmental footprint emitted by agriculture.
According to Greenpeace, agriculture is responsible for 14 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
ADVERTISEMENTBurning biogas also releases greenhouse gases, but so does leaving it to degrade naturally, which can also pollute waterways and soil.
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