China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation’s leading space contractor, achieved a significant milestone on Sunday by conducting a critical test for its upcoming reusable carrier rocket.
The State-owned conglomerate announced that its subsidiary, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, successfully executed a “hop test” using an experimental rocket. This test, conducted at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China’s Gobi Desert, involved the rocket lifting off and making a controlled vertical landing.
During the six-minute “vertical takeoff and vertical landing” (VTVL) test, the rocket ascended to an altitude of approximately 12 kilometers before making a soft landing at a predetermined location.
CASC highlighted that this was the most advanced VTVL test ever performed by a Chinese experimental reusable craft, validating several key technologies needed for the planned maiden flight of a reusable rocket next year.
The test rocket, with a diameter of 3.8 meters, was powered by three liquid oxygen-methane engines.
The hop test represents a crucial phase in the development of any reusable rocket, as it enables engineers to evaluate the performance of reusable engines and the rocket’s landing capabilities.
“The major difference between expendable rockets and reusable ones is that the engines on the reusable ones can be reignited multiple times during a flight and can be reused, while those on conventional rockets can only burn once and are disposable,” said Wang Yanan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge.
“In addition, another key to building a reusable rocket is that you must be able to control the descent process of the rocket, and that requires a lot of technologies.”
Alongside the Shanghai academy, another CASC subsidiary, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing, is also working on developing reusable rockets.
Jiang Jie, a top rocket scientist at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, said that a reusable space transportation system will substantially improve China’s capability of reaching Earth’s orbit and developing space resources. It will also help to reduce safety risks created by launch activities, lower launch costs and inject momentum into space technology, she added.
In addition to the State-owned enterprises, two private Chinese companies have conducted hop tests with their methane-fueled experimental rockets.
In Space Daily
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