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LandSpace | |
Native name | 蓝箭航天空间科技股份有限公司 |
Type | Private |
Industry | Aerospace |
Founded | June 2015[1] |
Founder | Zhang Changwu (张昌武)[2] |
Headquarters | , China |
Website | landspace.com |
Footnotes / references [3] |
LandSpace Technology Corporation | |||||||
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Simplified Chinese | 蓝箭航天空间科技股份有限公司 | ||||||
Traditional Chinese | 藍箭航天空間科技股份有限公司 | ||||||
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Landspace | |||||||
Chinese | 蓝箭航天 | ||||||
Traditional Chinese | 藍箭航天 | ||||||
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LandSpace Technology Corporation (doing business as LandSpace)[4][5][6] is a Chinese private space launch provider based in Beijing.[7] It was founded in 2015 by Zhang Changwu.[7][8]
Since its founding, the company has established several aerospace infrastructure sites in Zhejiang, including a $1.5 billion medium and large-scale liquid rocket assembly and test plant in Jiaxing and an intelligent manufacturing base in Huzhou.[9]
LandSpace developed its first launch vehicle Zhuque-1, powered by solid-propellant motors. Zhuque-1 was launched on 27 October 2018, however the payload failed to reach orbit due to an issue with the third stage.[10][11] The company also developed the liquid-fueled Zhuque-2, based on its methalox TQ-11 and TQ-12 engines, whose maiden launch (failed to orbit) occurred in December 2022.[12][13] Zhuque-2 became the first methalox rocket in the world to reach orbit after a successful second flight on 12 July 2023.[14]
Zhuque-1 (ZQ-1, Chinese:朱雀一号 or 朱雀·南太湖号), also called LandSpace-1 or LS-1 (the name LandSpace-1 or LS-1 was originally reserved for a different rocket that did not in the end materialize;[15] after cancellation of the rocket, the name LandSpace-1 was then affiliated to LandSpace's rocket-to-be-developed at the time, the Zhuque-1), is a 19 m (62 ft)-tall, three-stage solid-propellant rocket. All stages have a diameter of 1.35 m. It is likely based on the DF-26 missile's rocket motor.[16] Zhuque-1 has a takeoff mass of 27 t (30 tons) and a thrust of 45 tf (99,000 lbf), and is able to carry 300 kg (660 lb) of payload into a 300 km (190 mi) low Earth orbit.[10]
The maiden flight of Zhuque-1 was on 27 October 2018 from a mobile platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, carrying Weilai-1 satellite for China Central Television. After a successful first- and second-stage firing, and fairing separation, the payload failed to reach orbit due to an issue with the third stage.[10][11] Zhuque-1 was the first Chinese private orbital rocket to attempt an orbital launch.[17]
According to news reports, the manufacturer of the solid rocket motors has ended its contract with LandSpace. This raised doubts as to whether there will be a second flight of Zhuque-1.[16] Following the launch, Landscape announced it would advance its focus from Zhuque-1's simple solid-propellant towards the development of a methane-fuelled Zhuque-2.[18]
LandSpace developed a liquid-fuelled rocket called Zhuque-2 (ZQ-2).[7] Zhuque-2 is a medium-sized rocket powered by liquid oxygen and methane capable of lifting 6,000 kg of payload into a 200 km low Earth orbit, or 4,000 kg of payload into a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit.[19] The rocket was initially planned to be launched in 2020,[20] however by 2019 this had slipped to 2021,[21] and later to December 2022.
Zhuque-2 has a liftoff weight of 216 metric tons and use 4 TQ-12 methalox engines on the first stage each with a thrust of 67 metric tonnes.[22][23] The second stage utilizes one vacuum optimised TQ-12 with a thrust of 80 metric tonnes in combination with an 8 metric tonnes thrust TQ-11 engine which acts as a vernier thruster.[24]
In May 2019, LandSpace performed test firings of its liquid methane and LOX fuelled TQ-12 rocket engine at its test facility at Huzhou, Zhejiang province. LandSpace's head of research and development, Ge Minghe, says the engine has a thrust of 80 tonnes. The Huzhou facility will be able to produce about 15 ZQ-2 rockets and 200 TQ-12 engines starting in 2022, according to CEO, Zhang Changwu.[25][26]
On 14 December 2022, LandSpace conducted the debut flight of Zhuque-2, but failed to reach orbit due to an early shutdown of its second stage vernier engines after the second stage main engines apparently completed a successful burn. It was the world's first orbital launch attempt by a methane-fueled launch vehicle,[27] and was the first methane launch vehicle to reach space.
In March 2023, LandSpace confirmed that the second Zhuque-2 launch vehicle had completed assembly and was undergoing preparations for a launch attempt in the coming months.[28]
On 12 July 2023, Zhuque-2 became the first methane-fueled launch vehicle to reach orbit after a successful second flight.[19][29] Following the successful flight, CEO Zhang Changwu announced that the company could now begin its mass production process for Zhuque-2, with the launch having finalized and verified its design.[30]
Rocket & Serial | Flight No. | Date | Payload | Orbit | Launch Site | Outcome | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zhuque-1[10][11] | 27 October 2018, 08:00 UTC |
Weilai-1 (‘Future’) satellite | LEO | Jiuquan | Failure | ||
Zhuque-2[12] | Y1 | 14 December 2022, 08:30 UTC |
Various | SSO | Jiuquan, Site 96 | Failure | First methane launch vehicle to reach space. |
Zhuque-2[19] | Y2 | 12 July 2023, 01:00 UTC |
No payload (Flight test) | SSO | Jiuquan, Site 96 | Success | First methane launch vehicle to reach orbit. |
LandSpace is in competition with several other Chinese space rocket startups, being LinkSpace, Galactic Energy, ExPace, i-Space, OneSpace and Deep Blue Aerospace.[31]