China’s first reusable rocket has just taken a big step towards flight.
Chinese company LandSpace carried out a static fire test with its stainless steel products Zhuque-3 launcher Monday (October 20), keeping the rocket on track for a start which should take place before the end of the year.
THE static fire — a common pre-launch test in which a rocket fires its engines while remaining anchored to the platform — capped the three-day “first phase” of Zhuque-3’s maiden flight campaign, according to LandSpace.
This phase also included a refueling test which, like the static fire, took place at the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone in northwest China.
“The vehicle will then proceed with the planned vertical integration rehearsal, before returning to the technical area for inspection and maintenance in preparation for its next orbital launch and first recovery stage,” he added. LandSpace said via Monday.
Zhuque-3 looks a lot like SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, which also includes a reusable first stage and a consumable upper stage. Like the Falcon 9, Zhuque-3’s booster is powered by nine engines – in this case, Tianque-12As, developed in-house by LandSpace.
The Tianque-12A uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants – a key difference from the Falcon 9, whose Merlin engines burn LOX and rocket-grade kerosene. (EspaceXthe next generation Raptor engine, which powers its Spacecraft megarocket, uses LOX and liquid methane.)
The 217-foot-tall (66-meter) Zhuque-3 can carry about 40,350 pounds (18,300 kilograms) up to low earth orbit (LION). This is about the same stage as the Falcon 9, which has a LEO payload capacity of 50,265 pounds (22,800 kg).
Monday’s static fire was the latest in a series of milestones for the Zhuque-3. For example, LandSpace carried out low altitude operations launch and landing tests with the vehicle last year, and he carried out a static fire last June.
Beijing-based LandSpace, founded in 2015, also pilots the Zhuque-2. In July 2023, this rocket became the first LOX methane vehicle reach earth orbit. The debut marked the start of a string of four consecutive successes for Zhuque-2, but the rocket failed during its last liftoff last August.