Thermal control of propulsion system of SFU

The Space Flyer Unit (SFU) is the first Japanese reusable experiment spacecraft which was launched by the H-II vehicle and was retrieved by the Space Shuttle after a successful flight mission. The thermal control design and analysis for the propulsion system of SFU were carried out with many strict requirements which were mainly due to the Space Shuttle interface conditions at retrieval phase. The flight data agreed very well with the results of thermal analysis and thermal control design technology was confirmed in the propulsion system mounted outside the spacecraft, being exposed to severe thermal environmental conditions.