AFP news agency (France) reported that the experiment showed that this engine emitted blue-orange flames 10 to 15 meters high for about 10 seconds in the rural town of Taiki, Hokkaido.

According to the CEO of a startup called Interstellar Technologies – Mr. Takahiro Inagawa, the liquid biomethane (renewable natural gas) needed as rocket fuel is created entirely with gas derived from cow manure from two farms. local dairy farm.

“We are doing this not only because it is good for the environment, but it can be produced locally, is very cost-effective and is a fuel with high performance and purity,” Inagawa told AFP. ”.

He affirmed that Interstellar Technologies is the first private enterprise to do this and expects the technology to be replicated worldwide.

Interstellar Technologies has partnered with industrial gas production company Air Water. Local farmers have equipment on their farms to process cow manure into biogas that Air Water collects and turns into rocket fuel.

Biogas derived from cow dung has been used as fuel around the world, including to power buses in the Indian city of Indore. It helps reduce agriculture’s huge carbon footprint, which Greenpeace says is responsible for 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Burning biogas also releases greenhouse gases, while waste from farm animals pollutes water and soil. Local dairies and others are using Air Water biomethane to heat homes and fuel trucks and ships in pilot programs.

Among the local farmers participating in the pilot program is Mr. Eiji Mizushita (58 years old). Mr. Mizushita raises about 900 dairy cows, generating more than 40 tons of manure every day. His farm has an industrial system to automatically collect cow manure, ferment it and turn it into biogas, fertilizer and recycled materials for cattle bedding. Selling biogas only increases Mizushita’s income by about 1%, but he thinks the effort is worth it.

“I am happy that our cow waste can be used to make rockets fly,” he confided. We need to handle and use cow manure properly. I also think that the government and society should take a more serious look at the importance of natural renewable energy and encourage its production.”

In a related development, the National Space Policy Committee under the Japanese Cabinet Office decided to postpone the plan to launch a Mars probe until 2026, which is 2 years later than the original plan. . This decision was made after Japan failed in its H3 missile test launch in March this year. The H3 rocket is developed for regular commercial launches with better cost-effectiveness and reliability. This rocket is considered a potential competitor to Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket.