MLIT and MEXT Decide to Continue Technology R&D Contract for the Space Construction Innovation Project

GIKEN LTD. (Head Office: Kochi-shi, Kochi; President and CEO: Atsushi Ohira) announced that it has been selected in FY2025 to continue technology research and development (R&D) in the Project for Promoting the Development of Innovative Technologies for Autonomous Construction (Space Construction Innovation Project), led through the collaboration between the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), as part of the Japanese government’s Strategic Program for Accelerating Research, Development and Utilization of Space Technology (STARDUST Program).^* GIKEN has passed examination for continuation for three consecutive years starting in FY2022, making this the fourth year. In this fiscal year, GIKEN will accelerate efforts such as technology development and demonstrations to bring the concept to reality.

The hydraulic pile press-in and extraction machine SILENT PILER™ and the rotary cutting press-in machine GYRO PILER™ manufactured and sold by GIKEN are able to grip piles already driven into the ground and use extraction resistance force (reaction force) to drive the next piles. In principle, it is therefore possible for them to operate in zero-gravity environments. They can also handle a variety of ground conditions, including hard ground. Furthermore, GIKEN has technology that automatically optimises construction by estimating ground information from data obtained during press-in construction, and technology that allows a press-in machine to perform a simple loading test to measure the bearing capacity of piles after construction is complete. It is thought that these are able to provide a rational construction process on the lunar surface where prior data on its ground conditions is virtually non-existent.

With regard to this construction process, in FY2025, GIKEN will improve the probability of applying its technology on the surface of the moon through means such as model experiments using simulated lunar sand and numerical analysis. At the same time, GIKEN will embark on full-scale verification through case studies.

* Reference: MLIT’s website (https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/kanbo08_hh_001203.html) (in Japanese)

The theme of this phase is “proposal and assessment of rational process of design and construction for construction projects on the moon, by the use of piling data in rotary cutting press-in.”

Generally, construction projects on the ground must proceed in the order of ground survey, design, and construction. By using the PPT System™^* of GIKEN, even if survey data is limited, information can be supplemented, and validity of design can also be considered with ground information estimated from actual construction data. Additionally, a press-in machine can be used to easily conduct a loading test to measure the bearing capacity of completed piles. In situations like the lunar surface where survey data is extremely sparse, this system allows detailed design alongside survey and construction after a rough design so it should be possible to efficiently ensure structural performance. In outer space, where the amount of goods transported and the number of processes performed are limited, this will help reduce materials and equipment as well as construction time.

* A system that estimates ground information and performs automatic operation based on various data obtained during press-in construction.

Through this phase, GIKEN will work to verify the feasibility and validity of the construction process using its technology (see diagram below).

Before the end of FY2024, GIKEN carried out actual-size experiments on the simulated lunar surface (dense sandy ground) where almost no water exists, and model experiments on simulated lunar surface sand (FJS-1g). These experiments confirmed the feasibility of piling using the rotary cutting press-in method as well as the possibility of appropriately estimating ground information and such from construction data. In addition, GIKEN also established the design calculation method for numerically confirming the performance and safety of structures to be constructed using its technology.

In FY2025, GIKEN will continue to conduct model experiments using simulated lunar sand to further enhance the applicability of the rotary cutting press-in method and the validity of information estimated from construction data. Specific examples of rational construction processes will also be studied by combining information estimated from construction data with the design calculation method.

■Profile of GIKEN Group
GIKEN developed the SILENT PILER™, the world’s first reaction-based, non-vibratory hydraulic pile driving machine that operates with minimal noise impacts. The GIKEN Group now actively promotes its press-in technology worldwide and contributes to the construction industry by proposing and implementing innovative solutions. The innovative press-in technology provides a unique solution and the adoption of this technology has spread to over 40 nations and regions.