Welcome to the 7.11 edition of The Rocket Report! Outside of companies owned by American billionaires, the most immediate advances in reusable rockets are coming from China’s quasi-commercial launch industry. This industry is no longer in its infancy. Initially relying on solid-fuel rocket motors likely derived from Chinese military missiles, China’s privately funded launch companies have been testing larger rockets with varying degrees of success, and are now conducting hop tests reminiscent of SpaceX’s Grasshopper and F9R Dev1 programs from over a decade ago.
As always, we Reader submissions welcomeIf you don’t want to miss an issue, subscribe using the box below (the form won’t appear in the AMP-enabled version of the site). Each report includes information on a small, medium, and large rocket, as well as an overview of the next three launches listed on the calendar.
Landspace is getting closer to a reusable rocket. Chinese private space startup Landspace has completed tests of its Zhuque-3 (ZQ-3) reusable rocket test vehicle at an altitude of 10 kilometers (33,000 feet), including in-flight engine reignition at near-supersonic speeds, and a vertical takeoff and landing. Aviation Week & Space Technology ReportThe 18.3-metre (60-foot) long rocket took off from the Jiuquan launch site in northwest China, ascended to an altitude of 10,000 metres, then descended vertically and made a planned propulsive landing 3.2 kilometres (2 miles) from the launch pad. Notably, the methane-fueled variable thrust engines were purposely shut down during flight and then reignited during descent, as the engines will be operational in a future full-scale booster flyback. According to Landspace, the test booster was self-regulating using grid fins and cold gas thrusters when the main engines were shut down.
“All indicators met the design expectations.” … Landspace hailed the test as a major milestone on the company’s path to launching its next-generation rocket, the Suzaku-3, early next year. Powered by nine methane-fueled main engines, the Suzaku-3 will initially be able to launch a 21-ton (46,300-pound) payload into low Earth orbit with the booster flying in expendable mode. Landspace aims to start recovering and reusing the Suzaku-3 first-stage booster in 2026. Landspace is one of several Chinese companies seriously working on reusable rocket designs. Another Chinese company, Deep Blue Aerospace, said it plans to soon conduct a 100-kilometer (62-mile) ballistic test of a reusable booster ahead of the first flight of its medium-sized rocket, the Nebula-1, next year. (Courtesy of Ken The Bin)
Isar Aerospace has set the bar low for success with its first launch. Daniel Metzler, CEO of German launch startup Isar Aerospace, said the Spectrum rocket’s first flight would have been a success if it hadn’t destroyed the launch site. European Space Flight Report. Medium Interview at the Handelsblatt Innovation ConferenceMetzler was asked what he thought would be the case if Spectrum’s first flight were successful. “For me, a first flight is a success if we don’t blow up the launch pad,” Metzler explained. “That’s probably what sets us back the most in terms of technology and time.” This tempering statement is very similar to what Elon Musk said about the first flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket last year.
Are you in an advantageous position? …Izar Aerospace could be the first European commercial launch company to attempt a first orbital flight. Another German company, Rocket Factory Augsburg, abandoned plans for a launch this year after a booster for its first launch caught fire and collapsed during testing at a launch site in Scotland. Izar plans to launch its two-stage Spectrum rocket, designed to carry up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of payload into low Earth orbit, from Andøya Spaceport in Norway. Izar has not released a timeline for Spectrum’s first flight, but there are indications that the publicity-shy company is testing hardware at the Norwegian spaceport. (Courtesy of Ken the Bin)
FAA to implement new rules regarding orbital debris The Federal Aviation Administration is working to develop rules for disposing of upper stages after another Centaur upper stage disintegrated in orbit. Space news coverageThe FAA released proposed rules on the issue for public comment a year ago, and the head of the agency’s commercial spaceflight division recently said the rules are a “high priority for our organization.” The rules would instruct launch operators to discard upper stages in one of five ways, ranging from controlled reentry to placement in a graveyard or “discard” orbit not typically used for operational satellites. One change the FAA could make to the proposed rule is to shorten the time period required for uncontrolled reentry of discarded upper stages from 25 years or less to a shorter period. “We’ve heard a lot of feedback that it should be shorter,” said Kelvin Coleman, the FAA’s commercial spaceflight division director. “We’re taking that into consideration.”
The upper stage is a problem …Several recent cases of spent upper stages breaking apart in orbit have highlighted concerns that spent rocket debris could create unwanted space junk. Last month, the upper stage of China’s Long March 6A rocket broke apart in low orbit, releasing at least 300 pieces of space junk. More recently, the Centaur upper stage of United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket broke apart in a much higher orbit, releasing more than 40 pieces of junk. This is the fourth time that a United Launch Alliance Centaur upper stage has broken apart since 2018. (Courtesy of Ken The Bin)
