Interstellar Technologies

The group that became Interstellar Technologies was created as a hobbyist organization in 1997. Interstellar Technologies predecessor company was established in 2003 by Takafumi Horie, who previously founded the ISP Livedoor. It was established to develop rockets to launch small satellites. It became Interstellar Technologies in 2005 (some sources name the year 2013 as the founding year of Interstellar Technologies). In 2017, it became the first Japanese company to launch a privately developed space rocket, though the launch was unsuccessful. A subsequent test in 2019 was successful at taking a 20 kg payload on a suborbital trajectory to the edge of space. , the company planned to develop a rocket by 2020 that would be capable of launching small satellites into orbit. As of 2018, the president is Takahiro Inagawa. In March 2018, Interstellar entered into a business alliance with Nippon Travel Agency and Space Development Corp. In May 2018, Interstellar received an investment of ¥19.8 million from Kushiro Manufacturing. In January 2025, Interstellar received a $44 million investment from Woven by Toyota. == Rockets ==

MOMO sounding rocket The initial rocket the company is developing is the MOMO sounding rocket: • First launch: 30 July 2017 (failure) • First successful launch: 3 May 2019 (UTC) • Launch attempts: 7 (3 successful) • Height: • Engine: Custom Helium Pressure-fed engine with 12 kilonewtons of thrust • Propellants: Ethanol with Liquid Oxygen (LOX) • Attitude control: Gimballed thrust for steering, cold gas thrusters for roll control • Cost: ¥50 million (~$440 thousand) During a video conference on June 1, 2021 they announced the end of the upgrading process that focused on engine system, airframe equipment, avionics, and ground support equipment resulting in new nozzles, new ignitors, an increase in dry mass by 40 kg, in propellant mass by 30 kg, in length by 0.2 m and in thrust by 2 kN. Due to the heavy modifications performed the company started referring to the previous version of the rocket as MOMO v0, while the upgraded one is now being called MOMO v1. • First launch: 2027 (planned) • Payload to Sun-Synchronous Orbit: • Fuel: Liquid biomethane (LBM) DECA orbital rocket On 25 January 2023, IST announced plans to develop the DECA launch vehicle. DECA is a larger launch vehicle that can build small satellite constellations, launch large satellites into orbit, and transport cargo to the International Space Station, thereby contributing to the expansion of Japan’s space transportation capabilities. DECA will also be responsible for launching the satellite constellation targeted by the satellite developer Our Stars, a wholly owned subsidiary of IST. == Launch site ==

The launch site of IST resides next to the Taiki Aerospace Research Field of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, located within the Taiki Multi-Purpose Aerospace Park, which is an aerodrome in Taiki, Hokkaido, Japan. LC-1 will include a Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and development and test facilities. == See also ==