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Japan Explores Inflatable Technology for Mars Rover Landings
WASHINGTON — The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is investigating an innovative concept employing inflatable decelerators to facilitate the deployment of small rovers onto the surface of Mars. This emerging technology could provide a streamlined method for Mars landings, potentially enhancing future Mars exploration endeavors by the Japanese space agency.
Inflatable Decelerators: A Novel Approach
Masaki Fujimoto, the newly appointed director general of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences (ISAS), a division within JAXA, presented details of this concept during a plenary session at the National Academies’ Space Science Week on April 1. Fujimoto indicated that JAXA is collaborating with a commercial entity to develop inflatable decelerators for spacecraft landing systems intended for Martian missions. This strategy aims to simplify the complexities often associated with traditional Mars landing procedures.
Synergies from MMX and SLIM Missions
According to Fujimoto, this novel approach merges technological advancements from two key JAXA missions: the upcoming Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, designed to retrieve samples from Phobos, a Martian moon, and the successful Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft. SLIM achieved a high-precision lunar landing in January 2024, despite encountering a thruster anomaly. This synergy is expected to yield a robust and efficient landing system.
Combining Key Technologies for Martian Descent
“We have recently recognized that we may possess the essential technology,” Fujimoto stated, emphasizing the integration of capabilities from MMX and SLIM with ongoing research into inflatable soft aeroshells. These inflatable aeroshells are designed to manage the majority of the entry, descent, and landing (EDL) phases of a Mars mission. This unified approach seeks to replace intricate systems.
Streamlining Mars Landings
Fujimoto explained, “Rather than relying on a sophisticated supersonic parachute system and a rigid aeroshell, this single technology can accomplish all necessary functions.” He further elaborated that for smaller scale missions, this inflatable technology is crucial for enabling JAXA’s future Mars landing missions, offering a potentially simpler and more cost-effective solution for accessing the Martian surface.
Deployment and Rover Capabilities
The proposed landing sequence involves the inflatable aeroshell guiding a spacecraft through the Martian atmosphere to the surface, with thrusters providing control during the final phase of the landing sequence. ISAS anticipates utilizing this method to deliver rovers weighing between 100 and 200 kilograms to the Martian terrain, expanding capabilities for on-surface scientific investigation.
Heritage from NASA and Commercial Interest
While Fujimoto did not elaborate on the technical specifications of the inflatable aeroshell, he acknowledged its conceptual similarities to hypersonic inflatable decelerator systems previously tested by NASA. These include the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), which conducted a successful test flight in 2022. Furthermore, United Launch Alliance (ULA) is adapting similar technology for recovering the engine section of their Vulcan launch vehicles, demonstrating broader applicability of inflatable decelerator technology.
Strategic Funding and Future Development
The development of the inflatable aeroshell is supported by Japan’s Space Strategic Fund, a government initiative allocating one trillion yen ($6.7 billion) over a decade to foster advancements in critical space technologies. Fujimoto mentioned that the inflatable aeroshell project is among the beneficiaries of this fund, with a contract awarded to an undisclosed company to advance the technology’s maturity.
“We had the foundational concept, and a commercial entity expressed interest in collaboration,” Fujimoto noted. However, he did not specify a definitive timeline for when this technology might be ready for a Mars mission. “It is beginning to materialize at present,” he concluded, suggesting ongoing progress toward realizing this innovative Mars landing capability.