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A Methane Rocket Could Reach Orbit for the First Time This Week
China’s Landspace is targeting Wednesday for the second launch of its Zhuque-2 rocket. Should it reach orbit, it’ll be the first methane rocket to do so.
By George DvorskyPublished10 hours ago
The Zhuque-2 rocket.
Chinese commercial launch firm Landspace is preparing for the second test flight of its Zhuque-2 rocket, setting the stage for a groundbreaking achievement, should the methane-fueled rocket successfully reach orbit.
Zhuque-2, meaning “Vermillion Bird-2,” is scheduled to launch on July 12, 2023, at 2:00 a.m. ET from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, according to NextSpaceflight. The rocket’s success could usher in a new era of methalox-powered rocket engines for orbital and interplanetary transportation. The global spaceflight community will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on this upcoming launch as Landspace seeks to demonstrate the viability of methalox rocket fuel. As of yet, no information has been disclosed about the rocket’s payloads.
Methalox is fast becoming the preferred rocket fuel for launch providers. The benefits of methalox (a methane-oxygen mixture) are deemed to be more attractive than conventional liquid fuels like kerosene due to its cleaner, safer properties, and is deemed particularly suitable forThe first launch of the 162-foot-tall (49.5 meters) rocket didn’t go so well. Zhuque-2 failed to reach orbit during its maiden flight on December 14, 2022, resulting in the destruction of all 14 satellites on board. Investigations traced the issue to a faulty second-stage liquid oxygen inlet pipe, as reported by SpaceNews. A successful mission this time would see Landspace becoming the second private Chinese company to conduct a successful launch with a liquid propellant rocket, after Space Pioneer achieved the feat in April with its Tianlong-2 rocket. reusable rockets. And conceivably, it could be manufactured off planet, including on Mars. Several prominent space companies are developing rockets that will use the fuel, including SpaceX’s Starship, Rocket Lab’s Neutron, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, and Relativity Space’s Terran R.
The first launch of the 162-foot-tall (49.5 meters) rocket didn’t go so well. Zhuque-2 failed to reach orbit during its maiden flight on December 14, 2022, resulting in the destruction of all 14 satellites on board. Investigations traced the issue to a faulty second-stage liquid oxygen inlet pipe, as reported by SpaceNews. A successful mission this time would see Landspace becoming the second private Chinese company to conduct a successful launch with a liquid propellant rocket, after Space Pioneer achieved the feat in April with its Tianlong-2 rocket.
