Toray supplies H3 launch vehicle with high-performance carbon fiber and prepreg

Torayca™ carbon fiber manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc. has been used for the existing H-IIA rocket in the motor case (the part of the rocket body that stores solid fuel and serves as the combustion chamber). Torayca™ continues to be used for the motor case of the H3 Launch Vehicle, and Torayca™ prepreg, which was designed using high-strength carbon fiber and high-toughness resin, has been newly adopted for the payload fairing section (the leading edge of the launch vehicle where satellites and other payloads are loaded).

Torayca™ prepreg used in fairings is a slit tape prepreg designed for the automated fiber placement process, enabling efficient forming and processing of complex shapes and large structural materials, including oven forming, in addition to conventional autoclave forming.

In recent years, the use of satellites has expanded in various fields such as broadcasting, communications, positioning (GPS), earth observation, and disaster prevention, and the demand for launch vehicles has been increasing year by year. With the demand for lower launch costs and higher performance, the use of composite materials is expected to expand further in the future. Toray will continue to support such demand with Torayca™ products.

Toray is promoting “Global Expansion in Growth Business Fields” as one of the basic strategies under its medium-term management program, “Project AP-G 2022”, and the carbon fiber composite materials business is positioned as an area of expansion in line with this strategy. Based on our corporate philosophy of “We contribute to society through the creation of new value,” we will contribute to the development of society by proposing and providing globally optimal materials for solving problems.