Research & Development
JAXA promotes three research and development programs and a fundamental research program that underpins them.
Unmanned Airplane for Radiation Monitoring System (UARMS)
JAXA tests on its UARMS in Fukushima
JAXA conducted flight tests on its Unmanned Airplane for Radiation Monitoring System (UARMS), a joint research project with the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, on January 24. Past tests at the JAXA Taiki Aerospace Research Field and Shikabe Airport in Hokkaido evaluated the system’s flight and monitoring performance. As flight testing was deemed safe near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, where radiation levels are elevated, JAXA decided to perform evaluation testing of the airframe system in Namie, a zone preparing to lift restrictions on residents' return.
For the tests, JAEA's radiation detector for unmanned aircraft was installed on JAXA's base unit prototype, which was then flown to an altitude of approximately 150 m and tested over an area of roughly 1 km2. The data and findings obtained through the flight tests in Namie will be incorporated into the functional improvement aircraft currently in development to lay the foundation for a more practical unmanned Airplane radiation monitoring system.
March 31, 2014
