China’s state-owned space company beats private sector to reusable rocket test

Rocket’s ‘milestone’ hop testing sends it more than 10km into the sky before a controlled descent and precision landing in the Gobi Desert

Science

Ling Xinin Ohio

Published: 11:28am, 24 Jun 2024

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A state-owned developer has beaten its privately owned rivals to complete China’s most advanced reusable rocket test – a six-minute display of precision and power that lit up the northwestern Gobi Desert on Sunday.

The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) said the 10km (6-mile) “hop test” – in which a rocket shoots up, moves sideways and lands – was a “milestone” in the development of reusable rockets in China.

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The vertical take-off-vertical landing (VTVL) test “comprehensively verified” several key technologies, including the rocket’s structural integrity, buffer mechanisms and high-precision navigation during landing, it said.

Powered by three engines burning methane and liquid oxygen, the 3.8-metre (12.5ft) diameter test rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre at around 1pm Beijing time, according to state-owned newspaper China Space News.

The rocket reached an altitude of 12km (7.5 miles) before the central engine adjusted its thrust to allow a controlled descent. At 50 metres (about 164ft) above the ground, the rocket’s four landing legs were deployed as it slowed to a precise, soft touchdown on the designated recovery pad.

SAST is part of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, a main contractor for the country’s space programme, and the achievement puts it in front of a number of private companies hoping to carry out the same test on their rockets this year.

Rivals include the Beijing-based start-up LandSpace, whose Zhuque-2 became the world’s first methane-fuelled rocket to reach orbit last year. Hop testing of its stainless steel 3.35-metre (11ft) diameter Zhuque-3 rocket has been postponed due to engine malfunction.

In a statement released after Sunday’s test, SAST said its advancements “paved the way for the maiden flight of our 4-metre (13ft) diameter reusable carrier rocket in 2025”, adding that its next goal is a VTVL test at a level of 70km (43.5 miles).

Seven Yunlong engines – manufactured by leading start-up Jiuzhou Yunjian from Anhui province, eastern China, that is known for its methane-liquid rocket engines – will power the full-sized variant, it said.

Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is more efficient as a rocket fuel, easier to produce and more environmentally friendly than traditional fuels such as refined kerosene.

Other private Chinese companies working on reusable rockets include Space Pioneer, iSpace, Galactic Energy, Deep Blue Aerospace, CAS Space and Orienspace.

In January, LandSpace carried out the first VTVL test for its Zhuque-3 reusable rocket. It reached an altitude of about 350 metres during the 60-second test.

The state-owned China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology is also working on a reusable version of the Long March 10 rocket, which is designed to be recovered using ropes instead of landing legs, with a maiden flight slated for 2026.