| 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[2] |
| Headquarters | , China |
| Website | landspace.com |
| Footnotes / references [3] | |
| LandSpace Technology Corporation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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]
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.[9][10] The company is also developing liquid-fueled Zhuque-2, based on its methalox TQ-11 and TQ-12 engines, with a potential 2022 launch.[11][12]
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;[13] after cancellation of the rocket, the name LandSpace-1 was affiliated to LandSpace's rocket-to-be-developed, 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.[14] 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.[9]
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.[9][10] Zhuque-1 was the first Chinese private orbital rocket to attempt an orbital launch.[15]
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.[14]
LandSpace is also developing 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 4,000 kg of payload into a 200 km low Earth orbit, or 2,000 kg of payload into a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit.[16][17] The rocket was initially planned to be launched in 2020,[18] however by 2019 this had slipped to 2021.[19] As of December 2022, the rocket is scheduled to have its maiden flight on 14 December 2022.[20]
Zhuque-2 will have 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.[21][22] The second stage will use 1 vacuum optimised TQ-12 with a thrust of 80 metric tonnes in combination with an 8 metric tonnes thrust TQ-11 engine which will act as a vernier thruster.[23]
In May 2019, LandSpace did 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.[24][25]
LandSpace is in competition with several other Chinese solid rocket startups, being LinkSpace, Galactic Energy, ExPace, i-Space, OneSpace and Deep Blue Aerospace.[26]
