Flight demonstration of a pulse detonation rocket system todoroki II

We constructed a rotary-valved four-cylinder pulse detonation rocket system (Todoroki II) for the flight demonstration. The total length and weight of the vehicle were 1910 mm and approximately 32.5 kg with propellant and purge gas, respectively (detonation tube inner diameter and length: 36 mm and 805 mm, respectively). We investigated the thrust performance of Todoroki II and the thrust-to-weight ratio on grand test. A propellant-based specific impulse of 131 s, a time-averaged thrust of 256 N and a thrust-to weight ratio of 0.8 were achieved. The flight test using the newly-developed launch-recovery system was carried out. The system operated perfectly, and we successfully recovered the Todoroki II without damage. It was confirmed that the rolling by rotating the rotary valve and significant vibration by pulse detonation had a low impact on the flight. The stable pulse detonation operation and the detonation engine thrust in real flight condition (6-degree-of-freedom condition) were validated.