Did you know that every launch of a space rocket aerospace is costing companies at least $ 60 million? In order to reduce their cost, in 2013, the company SpaceX was thinking about creating reusable rockets — at the moment she has already established re-use first stages and fairings. Re-using fairings, the company is already saving $ 6 million — not bad, right? Recently a breakthrough in creating reusable rockets also made a private Chinese company Linkspace, raising your test apparatus RLV-T5 to a height of 300 meters and successfully planting it on the ground.
The main objective of the company Linkspace is the creation of a missile Newline-1 with two stages, the first of which will be reusable. Judging by the description, the machine is very similar to the Falcon 9 from SpaceX. At least the Chinese company intends to implement reusability in the same pattern as the company Ilona Mask. That is, after stage separation at high altitudes, the first will fall back to earth and land on a special platform.
Reusable rocket from China
When SpaceX has created a system of landing of the first stage, it was tested it not on the finished rocket, and the test, called Grasshopper. The Chinese company Linkspace also not going to risk the test uses a rocket RLV-T5 with five engines running on ethanol and liquid oxygen. The height of 1.5-pound prototype is 8.1 meters, and diameter is 65 inches. Spring rocket flew to a height of 20 and 40 meters, and now she was able to fly up to 300 meters, to hold in the air for 50 seconds and gently lowered the pad.
The company does not intend to stop there — the next launch of the rocket RLV-T5 rises at kilometer height. If all goes well, later trials will use the improved prototype called RLV-T6 with the ability to take on dozens of kilometers above the earth. If this test is successful, the missile could try to make a suborbital flight to 100 km altitude at the conditional border between Earth and space.
See also: In Europe, is developing a reusable launch vehicle like the Falcon 9 from SpaceX
The first launch of Chinese missiles
Ideally, the development of a reusable booster Newline-1 is to be completed in 2021. In this same year, the company wants to make its first run. It is expected that the Chinese missile can take loads of up to 200 kilograms into a 500-kilometer orbit. Actually, it’s not a particularly impressive figure, because the same Falcon 9 can put on a 200-kilometer orbit cargo weighing 5500 pounds. But take into consideration that the height of the rocket Newline-1 can not exceed 8 meters, whereas the height of the Falcon 9 reaches 70 meters.
Appearance booster Newline-1
The Chinese authorities encourage the development of the aerospace industry, so there are many manufacturers of space rockets. For example, among them is established in 2015 the company Landspace, which became the first private company granted permission to launch space rockets in China. At the end of last year she tried to launch a rocket called “Josue 1”, but during the flight the accident occurred.
Reusable rocket creates and Russia. Trials will begin in 2022
What do you think, will China be able to create a rocket that is better than the Falcon 9? Share your opinion in the comments or in our Telegram chat.