![]() Artist's concept of Kankoh-maru | |
Function | Crewed re-usable rocket |
---|---|
Country of origin | Japan |
Size | |
Height | 23.5 m (77 ft) [1] |
Diameter | 18 m (59 ft) [1] |
Mass | 550 t (1,210,000 lb) [1] |
Stages | 1 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | 50 t (110,000 lb) [2] |
Launch history | |
Status | Proposed [3] |
First stage | |
Thrust | 6,888,000 N (1,548,000 lbf) [1] |
Boosters | |
Total thrust | 2,900,000 N (650,000 lbf) [1] |
The Kankoh-maru (観光丸, Kankōmaru) is a proposed vertical takeoff and landing (VTVL), single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO), reusable launch system ( rocket-powered spacecraft). According to a document from July 1997, it would have been manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with its formal name being the Kawasaki S-1. [1]
The concept was created by the Japanese Rocket Society [ ja] in 1993. [3] This development cost was estimated ¥3.8 billion (1995) ( US$40.4 million) in 1995. [4]
The name Kankō Maru is derived from the first steam-powered vessel in Edo-era Japan. [3]