The new era of spaceflight is all about reaching orbit in the fastest and cheapest way possible, and reusable rockets are defining the future of the industry. That’s why so many companies are joining the effort, including a Chinese startup that recently completed the first flight test of a reusable first-stage prototype that lasted about a minute. Also included.
China’s Landscape Corporation tested its Zhuque-3 VTVL-1 rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Mongolia on Friday, January 19, during which the reusable rocket took off and hovered close to the ground for about 60 seconds, then It landed vertically on the launch pad. According to the company. The rocket reached an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet (350 meters) and landed within approximately 7 feet (2.4 meters) of its designated touchdown point.
“The rocket landed smoothly and the landing spot was precise,” Landscape magazine wrote. “The test mission was a complete success!” This short hop was used to test the rocket prototype’s vertical landing capabilities, with the aim of developing the company’s first reusable rocket.
The 60-foot (18.3-meter) tall Zhuque-3 rocket will eventually have a payload capacity of 20 metric tons to low Earth orbit (LEO) when disposable, and can carry 16.5 metric tons on a recovery mission. It uses a stainless steel propellant tank and a high thrust liquid oxygen methane engine.
landscape first announced The company plans to develop a reusable rocket at the Mingyue Lake Aerospace Information Industry International Ecosystem Event to be held in Chongqing, China in November 2023. iSpace, another Chinese startup, test In November 2023, it conducted a vertical landing demonstration at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and developed its own reusable rocket. Other companies, including Galactic Energy, Space Pioneer, and Deep Blue Aerospace, are also working on developing their own reusable liquid-propelled rockets.
China’s private sector’s reusable ambitions match the rapid growth of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which can carry 25 metric tons to LEO, and the Falcon Heavy rocket, which has a payload capacity of 64 metric tons.
SpaceX is leading the way with reusable rockets. The company’s main rival, Blue Origin, has developed its own reusable rocket, New Shepard, but it cannot deliver payloads into Earth orbit regularly like SpaceX, and It can only reach the edge of
Meanwhile, China’s space industry is still in its infancy. China’s private space sector has grown over the past decade after the Chinese government allowed investment in spaceflight companies rather than letting state-owned companies continue to monopolize the field.
Landscape was one of the first private space companies founded in China and has been relatively successful in catching up with Western space companies. In July 2023, Landscape launches world’s first methane-fueled rocket into orbit, surpassed SpaceX. Elon Musk’s private space venture also hopes to use liquid methane fuel to power itself. next generation starship rocket. Like SpaceX, Landspace also uses stainless steel as a construction material for Starship.
China’s Landscape may not be able to catch up with SpaceX in terms of rocket reusability, but the company is developing a launch vehicle it hopes will reach orbit for the first time in 2025. .
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