Posted on 07/13/2023 12:23:09 PM PDT by Red Badger
The Zhuque-2 rocket lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Wednesday China said the rocket completed the flight mission. Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua via EPA-EFE
July 12 (UPI) -- A methane-fueled rocket, launched by China, has reached orbit for the first time, beating out potential competitors from the United States and indicating a renewed effort by that nation to land astronauts on the moon with a more powerful spacecraft.
Built by Landspace, a private Chinese company, the 164-foot Zhuque-2 rocket lifted off from its Jiuquan launch complex, in China's Inner Mongolia, on Wednesday morning local time, Chinese officials said.
Zhuque is Chinese for vermillion rocket.
The U.S. Space Force reported that the rocket upper stage carried a "mass" and that it was circling Earth along a polar flight path inclined 97.3 degrees on the Equator at altitudes between 270 and 287 miles.
The launch follows a first attempt in December 2022, when the Zhuque-2 rocket failed and several satellites were lost. Pictures of the launch clearly show the distinctive bluish color of burning methane. The four engines have a combined thrust of 268 metric tons.
According to Chinese state media, a new rocket, more powerful rocket using methane could be used to carry a spacecraft that will land on the moon, while a sister ship is to transport Chinese astronauts.
This space record stands out even more, considering failed attempts by numerous companies using methane as a propellant, which is less polluting, cheaper and safer than rockets used now.
Competitors for the new technology include SpaceX, whose Starship exploded minutes after liftoff April 20. The ULA Vulcan, Blue Origin's New Glenn, Rocket Lab's Neutron and Relativity Space's Terran R all intend to use a combination of methane and oxygen.
A different type of rocket, also Chinese, flew in early April for the first time, using a kerosene variety derived from coal, rather than oil, and successfully placed its payload into orbit.
The big ‘un didn’t make it into orbit, but wow, that was the best live stream I’ve watched in a long time, since the Falcon Heavy sent the funny payload into deep space and the two side boosters landed basically simultaneously.
The next try of the Superheavy may be as soon as next month, I’d guess that it’ll be in November though. :^)
Bezos’ New Shepherd has been going up and coming back down for a number of years, but the BE-4 engine just blew up in test, which means (given their way of doing things) two years before the next test.
The Japanese are also thought to ‘borrow’ technology. I was in Osaka once, having dinner with a Chinese man and Japanese woman. I was trying to make conversation (after a 13 hour flight and a long bus ride from the airport) and asked what the similarities were between Chinese and Japanese characters. The Chinese man said that the Japanese characters were based upon Chinese characters. The Japanese woman said, ‘yes, we incorporate things and make them better’. It’s a different mindset than we are used to.
also COVID-19
The Chinese will eat anything with four legs, except tables;
The Chinese will eat anything that flies, except airplanes;
The Chinese will eat anything that swims, except boats.
Elon’s StarShip configuration is quite different than China’s first methane rocket test launch. SpaceX will beat China when it comes to the SIZE of the payload SpaceX intends to ultimately send to Mars via the StarShip section.
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