LandSpace Could Become China's First Company To Land a Reusable Rocket (arstechnica.com) 21
China's private launch firm LandSpace is preparing the debut flight of its Zhuque-3 rocket, aiming to become the country's first to land a reusable orbital-class booster using a Falcon-9-style return profile. Ars Technica reports: Liftoff could happen around 11 pm EST tonight (04:00 UTC Wednesday), or noon local time at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. Airspace warning notices advising pilots to steer clear of the rocket's flight path suggest LandSpace has a launch window of about two hours. When it lifts off, the Zhuque-3 (Vermillion Bird-3) rocket will become the largest commercial launch vehicle ever flown in China. What's more, LandSpace will become the first Chinese launch provider to attempt a landing of its first stage booster, using the same tried-and-true return method pioneered by SpaceX and, more recently, Blue Origin in the United States.
Construction crews recently finished a landing pad in the remote Gobi Desert, some 240 miles (390 kilometers) southeast of the launch site at Jiuquan. Unlike US spaceports, the Jiuquan launch base is located in China's interior, with rockets flying over land as they climb into space. When the Zhuque-3 booster finishes its job of sending the rocket toward orbit, it will follow an arcing trajectory toward the recovery zone, firing its engines to slow for landing about eight-and-a-half minutes after liftoff. At least, that's what is supposed to happen. LandSpace officials have not made any public statements about the odds of a successful landing -- or, for that matter, a successful launch... UPDATE: Chinese Reusable Booster Explodes During First Orbital Test
Construction crews recently finished a landing pad in the remote Gobi Desert, some 240 miles (390 kilometers) southeast of the launch site at Jiuquan. Unlike US spaceports, the Jiuquan launch base is located in China's interior, with rockets flying over land as they climb into space. When the Zhuque-3 booster finishes its job of sending the rocket toward orbit, it will follow an arcing trajectory toward the recovery zone, firing its engines to slow for landing about eight-and-a-half minutes after liftoff. At least, that's what is supposed to happen. LandSpace officials have not made any public statements about the odds of a successful landing -- or, for that matter, a successful launch... UPDATE: Chinese Reusable Booster Explodes During First Orbital Test
Update (Score:4, Informative)
Not this time. The rocket failed to land [stratnewsglobal.com], I saw it on the news ticker hours ago. "An abnormal combustion event occurred during the process, preventing a soft landing on the recovery pad" the report said. "The recovery test failed and the specific cause is still under further analysis and investigation." Of course, LandSpace could still become Chinas first company to land a reusable rocket, but not with this attempt.
Re: (Score:2)
It took every other company that has managed it a few attempts too. It's just hard. They did get their dummy payload to orbit this time, which is significant for this new rocket.
Note that they will be the first to land an orbital rocket. Other Chinese companies have landed sub-orbital boosters before.
They have a few firsts under their belt already. First methalox and first methane rockets to orbit, in the world. Fart powered rockets are pretty cool.
Re: (Score:1)
It took Blue Origin one failed attempt before their successful attempt. Not a few.
I used to mock Blue Origin's for their Old Space ways, but I have to admit they are now delivering.
Re: (Score:2)
Depends how you count it. They did multiple practice attempts before managing to land New Glenn.
Blue Origin is impressive though, they seem to have a much better system than SpaceX. Their rocket can take larger diameter payloads than Falcon Heavy too.
Re: (Score:1)
I disagree. Don't let their current problems fool you - Spacex's development process leads to more spectacular failures on the way, but means those problems are quickly overcome and they can more rapidly experiment and improve, leading to faster development of vastly more capable spacecraft.
Re: (Score:2)
We shall see I guess. I wouldn't put money on SpaceX being the first to land crew on the moon though. They are scheduled to do it second anyway, but I think Blue Origin has a better chance of having a lander ready for whenever NASA is good to go.
Re: (Score:1)
My money is on Starship + Dragon variant from LEO to Lunar orbit, Blue Origin to and from Lunar surface, Starship + Dragon back to LEO, Dragon to splashdown.
Or Spacex are secretly working on a Lunar Lander.
Re: (Score:2)
At the moment I'd say it's even odds if it is a US or Chinese lander that touches down first.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
What conspiracy? China has announced they plan to land humans "around 2030", and the progress they have shown on a lander suggests that they are on track for that. They have heavy lift rockets capable of performing the mission with lunar orbit rendezvous (the same as NASA is planning), and they have already soft landed probes and rovers on the moon. They have a history of sticking to their announced timescales, which tend to be conservative.
Therefore the question is if NASA can get there first. Starliner is
Re: (Score:1)
I was simply making a quip based on the fact that a manned US lander has already touched down on the moon. Six of them, in fact.
Re: (Score:1)
Blue Origin have to the most work to do, IMHO. We don't know how far they have already got, New Glenn's progress makes me hopeful.
Re: (Score:2)
They could send Dragon to the moon, but it would need a fair bit of development work. More fuel, longer term habitation. It will also need to transport the lander there, so will need some kind of adapter and some way to either launch with it attached, or to collect it in Earth orbit.
It's not impossible, but I wouldn't place any bets on who gets there first.
Re: (Score:1)
I suspect a lander could be made to fit inside Starship.
The man rating is the hard part I think, and that will be easier for a small craft like BO's lander(s) than a large one like Starship.
The BO lander can use a simple, single-shot engine like the Apollo LEM ( which I hope BO have already tested comprehensively ) whereas Starship will need to be tested with (I think) multiple relighting engines on the surface ( which AFAIK Spacex have not tested since the early SN te
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Bezos specifically left Amazon to take over Blue Origin, which was formerly sort of an expensive hobby project. The subsequent housecleaning replaced the majority of the executive suites and empowered lower level employees. It was only then when we started to see actual advances from the company. Some people may loathe Bezos with every fiber of their being, but really no one can argue with the fact that he's an incredible manager.
Re: (Score:1)
Likewise, I loathe etc. Trump, but he has done things no other president has ever come close to - if only they were for the common good - and Hitler's painting weren't bad.
Normal, decent people can say things like that. They accept facts are facts.
Fanatics, whether hateful woke or retarded right, cannot.
Re: Update (Score:2)
reusable.
it is hell of a word
Very impressive first attempt (Score:5, Interesting)
I watched it on a non-quite-live stream and it was really impressive for a first landing attempt. First of all, the rocket went on to a successful orbit, which is the first priority of a reusable rocket. The first stage came down like a fireball (a rocket going butt-first is quite harsh dynamically), and it crashed next to the landing pad. That's even better than New Glenn's first attempt.
The stream was quite an experience tool. A couple of Spanish (or were they Mexican?) guys checking whatever social media that video clips of the launch were being posted to, even a photo of a monitor at the space center showing a a drone view of the landing zone. At the same time people were posting the same video clips and photos on 4chan. All this just at my bedtime, I wouldn't have known if I hadn't checked minutes before.
Love the editing here. (Score:2)
"LandSpace Could Become China's First Company To Land a Reusable Rocket"
"UPDATE: Chinese Reusable Booster Explodes During First Orbital Test"
I had a chuckle at how close together these two posts are on the Slashdot front page.