--- title: How JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Designed their Rocket Engine Turbopump? description: This case study looks at how JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agencyn went about designing a compact centrifugal pump to achieve high performance. image: https://blog.adtechnology.com/hubfs/Collateral%20Planning/Case%20Studies/Jaxa/Blog_banner%20Compact%20Design%20of%20a%20Rocket%20Engine%20Turbopump%20by%20JAXA.png --- [![](https://blog.adtechnology.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo-4.png?width=239&height=66&name=logo-4.png)](http://adtechnology.com) # How JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Designed their Rocket Engine Turbopump? By [Mehrdad Zangeneh](https://blog.adtechnology.com/author/mehrdad-zangeneh) [3D Inverse Design](https://blog.adtechnology.com/topic/3d-inverse-design) [Pumps & Hydraulic Turbines](https://blog.adtechnology.com/topic/pumps-hydraulic-turbines) August 3, 2022 At the present time, Stepanoff’s design methodology based on empiricism using an experimental database is still widely used in pump design. This design is so popular because based on his experimental investigation of the correlations between many design parameters and pump performance he “strongly suggested” that the optimum blade exit angle was 2β = 22.5 degrees. It is true that designers using Stepanoff’s method can design pumps that demonstrate moderate performance with very cheap design costs. These facts along with a rich experimental database make this method attractive as a standard design methodology. However, it is also true that Stepanoff’s method can not be applied to breakthrough designs beyond the design range he originally tested.   ![7 LOX turbopump](https://blog.adtechnology.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Collateral%20Planning/Case%20Studies/Jaxa/Fig1-min.jpg?width=400&name=Fig1-min.jpg)*LE-7 LOX turbopump*     > ## “TURBOdesign1 is an intelligent design tool, which gives us fresh insight into the fluid dynamics of the flow through the pump stage”.     [![Read the Case Study](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2115715/d59bc070-4011-4483-9f16-6649ec61190c.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2115715/d59bc070-4011-4483-9f16-6649ec61190c) ### Book a LIVE demo on the design of a turbomachinery application of your choice. Our demo is tailored to your specific application and design challenges [![Book a Demonstration](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2115715/57b9fd61-d65c-47e8-8b0c-27bc698c0f4e.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2115715/57b9fd61-d65c-47e8-8b0c-27bc698c0f4e) Share This Post [![Share on Facebook](https://blog.adtechnology.com/hubfs/ADT%20Blog/Social%20Icons/5e0f3c78452ae7d40a6dbfff_002-facebook-logo.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.adtechnology.com%2Fhow-jaxa-the-japan-aerospace-exploration-agency-designed-their-rocket-engine-turbopump%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://blog.adtechnology.com/hubfs/ADT%20Blog/Social%20Icons/5e0f3c78452ae70fe46dc000_001-linkedin-logo.svg)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.adtechnology.com%2Fhow-jaxa-the-japan-aerospace-exploration-agency-designed-their-rocket-engine-turbopump%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://blog.adtechnology.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ADT%20Blog/Social%20Icons/5e0f3c78452ae7625c6dbffd_home-socicon1.png?width=24&name=5e0f3c78452ae7625c6dbffd_home-socicon1.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.adtechnology.com%2Fhow-jaxa-the-japan-aerospace-exploration-agency-designed-their-rocket-engine-turbopump%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.adtechnology.com%2Fhow-jaxa-the-japan-aerospace-exploration-agency-designed-their-rocket-engine-turbopump%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=How%20JAXA%2C%20the%20Japan%20Aerospace%20Exploration%20Agency%2C%20Designed%20their%20Rocket%20Engine%20Turbopump%3F) [![Share on Email](https://blog.adtechnology.com/hubfs/ADT%20Blog/Social%20Icons/001-envelope.svg)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.adtechnology.com%2Fhow-jaxa-the-japan-aerospace-exploration-agency-designed-their-rocket-engine-turbopump%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.adtechnology.com%2Fhow-jaxa-the-japan-aerospace-exploration-agency-designed-their-rocket-engine-turbopump%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ### Mehrdad Zangeneh Mehrdad Zangeneh is Founder and Managing Director of Advanced Design Technology and professor of Thermofluids at University College London. [View All Articles](https://blog.adtechnology.com/author/mehrdad-zangeneh) ### MORE ON THIS TOPIC [![Parametric Design of a Waterjet Pump by Means of Inverse Design, CFD Calculations and Experimental Analyses](https://blog.adtechnology.com/hubfs/Collateral%20Planning/Publications/Parametric%20Design%20of%20a%20Waterjet%20Pump/parametric-design-waterjet-pump.jpg) ](https://blog.adtechnology.com/parametric-design-waterjet-pump-inverse-design-cfd-calculations-experimental-analyses) [3D Inverse Design](https://blog.adtechnology.com/topic/3d-inverse-design) [Pumps & Hydraulic Turbines](https://blog.adtechnology.com/topic/pumps-hydraulic-turbines) ## [Parametric Design of a Waterjet Pump by Means of Inverse Design, CFD Calculations and Experimental Analyses](https://blog.adtechnology.com/parametric-design-waterjet-pump-inverse-design-cfd-calculations-experimental-analyses) The present paper describes the parametric design of a mixed-flow water-jet pump. The pump impeller and diffuser geometries were parameterized by... [![Consultancy Summary: Design and Optimization of a Centrifugal Pump Stage](https://blog.adtechnology.com/hubfs/Collateral%20Planning/Consultancy%20Summaries/Design%20and%20Optimization%20of%20a%20Centrifugal%20Pump%20Stage/centrifugal%20pump%20stage%206.png) ](https://blog.adtechnology.com/design-centrifugal-pump-stage) [3D Inverse Design](https://blog.adtechnology.com/topic/3d-inverse-design) [Pumps & Hydraulic Turbines](https://blog.adtechnology.com/topic/pumps-hydraulic-turbines) ## [Consultancy Summary: Design and Optimization of a Centrifugal Pump Stage](https://blog.adtechnology.com/design-centrifugal-pump-stage) **What are the design targets? The project involves the design and optimization of a high specific speed centrifugalpump stage. The optimized stage...** [![Radial Turbine Optimization: A 3D Inverse Design Based Rapid Multi-disciplinary Optimization Strategy](https://blog.adtechnology.com/hubfs/ADT%20Blog/Radial%20Turbine%20ImechE%202024/Rotor%20Optimization/Fig%207.%20Radial%20Turbine%20rotor%20von-Misses%20Sress%20Contours.jpg) ](https://blog.adtechnology.com/radial-turbine-rotor-optimization-multidisciplinary-optimization-strategy) [3D Inverse Design](https://blog.adtechnology.com/topic/3d-inverse-design) [Turbine](https://blog.adtechnology.com/topic/turbine) ## [Radial Turbine Optimization: A 3D Inverse Design Based Rapid Multi-disciplinary Optimization Strategy](https://blog.adtechnology.com/radial-turbine-rotor-optimization-multidisciplinary-optimization-strategy) In the [first part of this article](https://blog.adtechnology.com/radial-turbine-rotor-design-multidisciplinary-optimization-strategy), we showed how to perform the initial design of a radial inflow turbine rotor using the 3D inverse design method. ... ![ADT-LOGO-2-lines-white-1](https://blog.adtechnology.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ADT-LOGO-2-lines-white-1.png?width=170&height=71&name=ADT-LOGO-2-lines-white-1.png "ADT-LOGO-2-lines-white-1") All rights reserved. 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