On the day of 0745 Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time 16 October 2024 CNSA –China National Space Administration , China, People’s Republic of China At 0745 Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time , the Chang Zheng -Long March 4BYao 59 carrier rocket successfully launched China’s first reusable recoverable technology test satellite.. From The the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Inner Mongolia, China, People’s Republic of China.. at the 9401 workstation of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest inland China, the Long March 4B Yao 59 carrier rocket carrying the Gaofen 12 05 remote sensing satellite was vertically launched into space, sending the satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).
The satellite and carrier rocket for this mission were developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The Gaofen-12 05 satellite is a large-scale high-resolution remote sensing satellite, which is mainly used in land survey, urban planning, land rights confirmation, road network design, crop yield estimation and disaster prevention and mitigation
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The Long March 4C is a medium-sized normal-temperature liquid carrier rocket with a three-stage tandem configuration. The main power is all nitrogen tetroxide/undimethylhydrazine propellant. The Long March 4C rocket is mainly used for sun-synchronous orbit and low-Earth orbit satellite launch missions. The rocket is 48 meters high, with a diameter of 3.35 meters for the first and second stages, a diameter of 2.9 meters for the third stage, a takeoff mass of 250 tons, and a capacity of 3 tons for a circular sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 700 kilometers. The Long March 4C is the first and only model among China’s normal-temperature liquid rockets equipped with a secondary start-type final stage main engine, and has the ability to launch into high orbit and deep space.
The Long March 4B successfully completed its maiden flight on April 27, 2006. So far, it has carried out 55 launches, 53 of which were successful, with a success rate of about 96%. This launch is 157 days away from the 54th launch of the Long March 4B, which will be carried out on the morning of May 12, 2024.
This launch mission is the second launch of the “Long March 4C” rocket in 2024, the 14th launch of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the 49th launch in China and the 189th orbital space launch in the world.
At 1906 Hours Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time 15th October 2024 , China- People’s Republic of China- CNSA –China National Space Administration Successfully launched Chang Zheng – Long March 6 Carrier Rocket ignited and took off at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center Shanxi Province.. Successfully deployed 18 Satellites in one launch .. Long March 6 modified carrier rocket ignited and took off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, and then successfully sent the 02 group of Qianfan polar orbit satellites into the predetermined orbit. The launch mission was a complete success…. which aims to provide high speed and reliable satellite broadband internet services to global users. With in mind of The newly launched satellite group is a part of China’s G60 Constellation, which aims to provide low-latency, high-speed and ultra-reliable satellite broadband
Long March 6 modified Carrier rocket was developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It is a new generation of non-toxic and pollution-free carrier rocket. It is also China’s first solid-liquid bundled medium-sized carrier rocket. The carrying capacity of the 700-kilometer altitude sun-synchronous orbit is greater than 4.5 tons.
This launch is the 539th launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets.
On the 10th October 2024 schedule to launch CNSA _China National Space Administration -China – People’s Republic of China 0904 Hours Hong Kong –Beijing Time China- People’s Republic of China…. at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province…..The Chang Zheng -Long March 3B carrier rocket ignited and took off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center….. Successfully deploying Long March 3B rocket successfully launches satellite internet high-orbit satellite 03… At 21:50 Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time on October 10 2024, at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, the Long March 3B carrier rocket ignited and took off, and then successfully sent the satellite internet high-orbit satellite 03 into the predetermined orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success. The satellite internet
high-orbit satellite 03 launched this time was developed by the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The Long March 3B carrier rocket that carried out this launch mission was developed by the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The development team has made adaptive improvements to the rocket and optimized related product technologies based on the mission characteristics, further improving the rocket’s reliability and mission adaptability.
This launch is the 538th launch of the Long March series of carrier rockets
On the day of27th September 2024 Hours Hong- Kong SAR – Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration , China, People’s Republic of China At 1830 Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time , the Chang Zheng -Long March 2D carrier rocket successfully launched China’s first reusable recoverable technology test satellite.. From The the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Inner Mongolia, China, People’s Republic of China..
[This is amazing, Long March 2D successfully launched China’s first reusable recoverable technology test satellite]
According to Shanghai Aerospace and China’s aerospace news, at 18:30 Beijing time on September 27, 2024, the Long March 2D carrier rocket successfully sent the Practice 19 satellite into the predetermined orbit at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and the launch mission was a complete success.
This mission is the first time that the Long March 2D rocket has carried out a recoverable satellite launch mission after an interval of 8 years. In response to possible weak links, the model actively organized the test team to carry out “double thinking” work and conduct special quality review work. In order to meet the payload requirements of the recoverable satellite, the model customized the work process of buckling the fairing on the tower 48 hours before launch.
As an important new technology test satellite during China’s “14th Five-Year Plan”, the Practice 19 satellite has achieved a number of technological breakthroughs in reusability, high microgravity guarantee, high load ratio and re-entry environment test services. It will significantly improve the technical level and application efficiency of China’s recoverable satellites, reduce operating costs, and provide strong support for the rapid transformation of new technology verification and pre-research results.
The Shijian-19 satellite will carry out space breeding experiments, carrying relevant plant seeds selected by Hainan Province, Anhui Province, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, giving full play to the advantages of space breeding such as “high mutagenesis efficiency, short breeding cycle, and many beneficial mutations”, improving China’s space breeding technology level, accelerating the pace of germplasm resource innovation, and providing important support for achieving self-reliance in seed industry technology and independent control of seed sources. Researchers will make full use of the reusable Shijian-19 satellite to carry out space experiments, provide opportunities for in-orbit flight test verification for domestic components and raw materials, promote the development and application of new space technologies, and help research in the fields of microgravity science and space life science.
In addition, the Shijian-19 satellite also carries payloads applied for by five countries including Thailand and Pakistan, and carries out extensive international cooperation. The National Space Administration is responsible for the organization and management of the Shijian-19 satellite project, the organization and coordination of major matters, and the approval of launch licenses. The National Space Administration’s Earth Observation and Data Center is responsible for the overall work of the project; the satellite is developed by the Space Technology Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and the Launch Vehicle Technology Research Institute is responsible for the overall development of the launch vehicle system.
The Long March 2D carrier rocket that carried out this mission is a room-temperature liquid two-stage carrier rocket developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It has the characteristics of “high reliability, good economy, and strong adaptability” and can support various launch needs such as single-star, multi-star parallel, series, and piggyback. Its sun-synchronous circular orbit carrying capacity can reach 1.3 tons (orbital altitude 700km). Space
At 13:40 on September 22, Jiangsu Deep Blue Aerospace Co., Ltd. carried out the first high-altitude vertical recovery flight test of Nebula-1 at the Deep Blue Aerospace Ejin Banner Spaceport in Inner Mongolia China, People’s Republic of China … The recyclable and reusable first-stage rocket body had an abnormality during the final landing phase of the flight test, and the test mission was not completely successful. According to the “Nebula-1 First High-altitude Vertical Recovery Flight Test Test Outline”, there are a total of 11 major test verification tasks. In this flight test, 10 of them were successfully completed and 1 was not completed.
China’s first high-altitude recovery flight test of a launch vehicle that can enter orbit…. At 13:00 on September 22, Jiangsu Deep Blue Aerospace Co., Ltd. carried out the first high-altitude vertical recovery flight test of Nebula-1 at the “Deep Blue Aerospace Ejin Banner Spaceport” in Inner Mongolia. An abnormality occurred in the recyclable and reusable first-stage rocket body during the final landing phase of the flight test, and the test mission was not completely successful. The core mission objectives of this test are to verify the correctness and coordination of the operation of various systems in the vertical recovery phase after Nebula-1 enters orbit, especially to verify the multi-machine to single-machine variable power operating conditions for the first time in flight, and to accumulate key data for subsequent 100-kilometer recovery flight tests and the final orbital entry + recovery test missions
The Nebula-1 rocket that carried out this flight mission is Deep Blue Aerospace’s first commercial liquid rocket that can enter orbit and be recycled and reused. It is also an important carrier for breaking through and verifying rocket vertical recovery and reuse technology. The Nebula-1 rocket has a body diameter of 3.35 meters and a first-stage height of about 21 meters. It is equipped with the Thunder-R liquid oxygen-kerosene engine, China’s first reusable liquid rocket engine developed fully independently by Deep Blue Aerospace, with more than 90% of the main structure integrally formed using high-temperature alloy 3D printing technology.
This flight test is China’s first high-altitude recovery test of a launch vehicle that can enter orbit. The core mission of the test is to verify the correctness and coordination of the various systems in the vertical recovery phase after the Xingyun-1 enters orbit, especially to verify the multi-machine to single-machine variable power condition for the first time in flight, so as to accumulate key data for the subsequent 100-kilometer recovery flight test and the final orbital entry + recovery test mission.
According to the “Xingyun-1 First High-Altitude Vertical Recovery Flight Test Outline”, the key technical points verified during this test are as follows:
The rocket took off with three engines ignited according to the predetermined procedure. After reaching the predetermined height, the engines on both sides were shut down, and the attitude was stabilized and the ascent was slowed down by relying on the thrust of a single engine. After reaching the highest point, it relied on the thrust adjustment of a single engine to descend smoothly. After moving sideways for about 200 meters, it successfully unlocked, deployed and locked the landing legs at the predetermined height above the recovery site. However, an abnormality occurred during the final landing shutdown phase, resulting in partial damage to the rocket body. The entire flight test lasted 179 seconds. Before shutdown, the error between the rocket body and the theoretical landing point was less than 0.5 meters, and the rocket body finally landed precisely at the center of the recovery site. The flight mission profile of this test was consistent with the predetermined procedure. The entire process of test preparation and implementation was within the scope of the preliminary safety control plan. After the test, post-processing was carried out in accordance with the predetermined emergency response process, and no safety issues occurred throughout the process.
After the test, a preliminary retrospective analysis of the test process data showed that during the final landing shutdown phase, the engine thrust servo followed the control command abnormally, causing the rocket body to land at a height exceeding the design range and partial damage to the rocket body. The Deep Blue Aerospace technical team will complete the mission “zeroing” as soon as possible to lay a solid foundation for the success of subsequent recovery flight tests. Based on the summary of this test and the zeroing of technical faults, Deep Blue Aerospace will perform a high-altitude vertical recovery mission again in November.
This flight test was conducted at the Ejin Banner Spaceport built by Deep Blue Aerospace. The ground equipment, refueling system, and measurement and control system of the test site were all independently developed by Deep Blue Aerospace. The test site is the first fully commercial test site in China that can meet the needs of liquid rocket launches and flight tests. It is located in the heart of the Gobi Desert, adjacent to the Badain Jaran Desert, China’s third largest desert, on the south side. The surrounding area is a vast Gobi Desert uninhabited area, which has inherent safety characteristics. The test area this time points to the uninhabited area in the desert to the south. The test is strictly carried out in accordance with the safety management requirements of rocket tests, and comprehensive risk identification, control, and emergency plans are carried out to ensure the test safety and public safety of this test.
For the first stage of the Nebula-1 orbital rocket, only less than 1/5 of the propellant was added in this test; the precise attitude control of the propellant shallow box in the high-altitude vertical recovery condition was successfully verified. This test used high-precision self-alignment technology based on a dynamic base, as well as takeoff roll-to-launch launch technology, which can meet the full-direction launch requirements without changing the vertical installation state of the rocket. In the future, it can greatly simplify the workload of different flight missions and improve adaptability. This test preliminarily verified the recovery trajectory optimization based on optimal control and the meter-level precision guidance algorithm, and conducted engineering verification for the subsequent orbital entry + recovery optimal control method.
This test is the first time in China that an open-cycle liquid oxygen-kerosene pintle engine has been used to perform a rocket high-altitude recovery test mission. The liquid oxygen-kerosene propellant combination has the characteristics of high comprehensive carrying efficiency, low product cost, safety in use and good maintainability, and is the only choice for liquid recovery rockets for commercial use; but due to the difficulty of kerosene liquid-liquid combustion, smooth thrust regulation and stable combustion have always been the difficulties of kerosene thrust regulation engines. Pintle technology, as the best engineering practice to solve the thrust regulation of kerosene engines, is one of the technical peaks of open-cycle liquid engines. The success of this test is the first time that the Lei Ting-R engine has participated in a flight test. The central engine has carried out thrust regulation throughout the 179s flight. The actual thrust regulation command range is from 110% to 58%, and the thrust regulation accuracy is better than 1%. Under flight conditions, it responds well to step commands with a maximum amplitude of 40%, and the thrust overshoot accuracy is less than 2%.
This test was the first in China to use a landing cushion mechanism (landing legs) developed specifically for orbital-stage rockets for vertical recovery testing. In order to meet the stringent weight requirements of orbital-stage rockets, the mechanism is made of a full carbon fiber structure. In the early stages, single-machine tests of the buffer, single-machine tests of the connection and locking device, a series of deployment and retraction tests of a single leg, and joint deployment and retraction tests of four legs and the rocket body were carried out. Single-machine and system tests. Based on a series of previous tests and improvements, this mechanism is the first landing cushion device product in China to enter engineering applications. At the cost of a weight of no more than 1.2t and less than 10% of the rocket’s empty weight, the first stage of the rocket can land safely and reliably with a total weight of no more than 15 tons, a speed of no more than 3m/s, and an attitude angle of no more than 5° under the condition of carrying the remaining propellant.
In the future, Deep Blue Aerospace will continue to adhere to the serious safety awareness, rigorous and pragmatic scientific attitude, and the pursuit of excellence in innovation, focusing on the fundamental purpose of providing safer, economical, reliable, and high-frequency space transportation services, and accelerate the promotion and realization of the rapid installation of China’s reusable rockets. After accumulating valuable experience this time, Deep Blue Aerospace firmly believes that in the near future, reusable rockets will soar into the sky and help China’s aerospace “increase in volume”.
