China is making the lauch vehicle up to 130 tons LEO

[mnd]

In the US, it is commonly accepted knowledge that China is at most 20 years behind US in technology. Saturn V is 1960's tech, so it should certainly be doable by China in this decade. The current batch of Chinese managers are not known to overpromise and underdeliver.

Rocket techology is the last thing the US should be proud of. The US launch vehicles use older russian engines delivered annually because theirs have not the power for that missions. And still buy more. China, tough mostly based on older soviet tech already surpassed the US in the area.

 

[tanlixiang28776]

Rocket techology is the last thing the US should be proud of. The US launch vehicles use older russian engines delivered annually because theirs have not the power for that missions. And still buy more. China, tough mostly based on older soviet tech already surpassed the US in the area.

Its just cheaper I think.

 

[CardSharp]

Can anyone tell me why we are going to the moon? If it's just a big F you to America, it's not worth it.

 

[marshall]

curentlly Chinese have 60 ton LEO payload rocket. By 2014 they will have 130 ton LEO payload rocket which is the same as USA Saturn V rocket that send man to the moon!

The Changzheng 5 is supposed to be China's heavy lift rocket and it's supposed to be in the Delta IV class around ~25 tonnes to LEO and ready sometime between 2014. I'm aware of a feasibility study for a 60 tonne rocket but that's still mostly classified and there's no timetable, but supposedly it's this rocket that will be the Moon rocket, not a 130 tonne rocket which was only announced recently. Maybe they are rethinking plans because the 60 tonne rocket was supposed to be used to launch multiple payloads into LEO and then dock together before a lunar rendezvous so obviously a 130 tonne rocket would make more sense for lunar excursions.

 

[mnd]

Its just cheaper I think.

Just that Russian engines are the only ones certified because of their power and reliability. The US currently refused to further modify their missiles because dependance on russian engines is a "threat" but they could do nothing with it and oferred the russians to do a joint venture to russians to manufacture them in US

 

[marshall]

Yeah, 2015-2020 Moonlanding, and 2025-2030 Marslanding.

This is too HKC!!!

You believe China will land Humans on the Moon between 2015-2020 and Mars between 2025-2030??? That's literally impossible. The best rocket China will have in 2015 is the CZ-5 which is only good enough to launch ~14 tonnes into geosynchronous orbit and to reach the Moon it would take a rocket able to lift at least 50 tonnes into LEO orbit where multiple rocket payloads would need to dock together into a larger payload for actual Moon rendezvous. China doesn't even have a timetable for the 60 tonnes rocket yet, and it's not even decided if the rocket will have a 60 tonnes LEO capability. CALT has only announced the 600 tonnes thrust rocket engine project. It is speculation that they will strap together a bunch of these rocket engines for the 1st and 2nd stages of a rocket, which means the payload capacity can be anything between 60-150 tonnes. So, talk about the 60 tonnes or 130 tonnes LEO rocket might actually be related rocket developments because they'll both probably rely on the same rocket engine, the aforementioned 600 tonnes thrust rocket engine. At the very earliest, we can't be expecting this Moon rocket to appear before 2020. Even then, no manned mission would rely on this for a few years. So, I would expect a manned Moon mission to follow sometime after 2024 at the very earliest, more likely after 2028.

With Mars, this is a totally different league. Given what we know about China's rocket developments and the realistic Moon mission schedule, then a Mars mission is more likely after 2040, ASSUMING there even is a manned Mars mission being planned.

 

[AerospaceEngineer]

talking about your self there pal?

Dude, he just got banned.

 

[AerospaceEngineer]

Rocket techology is the last thing the US should be proud of. The US launch vehicles use older russian engines delivered annually because theirs have not the power for that missions. And still buy more. China, tough mostly based on older soviet tech already surpassed the US in the area.

WHAT?

No you are wrong. USA's Saturn V still holds the record for LEO payload. They use Russian rocket because it is much cheaper. You do not need a Saturn V with 120 tons of payload to lunch a 2 ton rocket!!! This is why Americans use Russian rocket to lunch them!

 

[Imran Khan]

Hope it gets prepared in 30-40 years.

its not DRDO project ehheeheh

 

[AerospaceEngineer]

Can anyone tell me why we are going to the moon? If it's just a big F you to America, it's not worth it.

NO!!!

Think about this, going to the moon will PROVE China's techology ability. Going to the moon will tell the rest of the world's that China can make high tech products as well as afforadable ones. This will gain much respect from the world and reshape China's stragetic influence in the whole WORLD!!

 

[AerospaceEngineer]

You believe China will land Humans on the Moon between 2015-2020 and Mars between 2025-2030??? That's literally impossible. The best rocket China will have in 2015 is the CZ-5 which is only good enough to launch ~14 tonnes into geosynchronous orbit and to reach the Moon it would take a rocket able to lift at least 50 tonnes into LEO orbit where multiple rocket payloads would need to dock together into a larger payload for actual Moon rendezvous. China doesn't even have a timetable for the 60 tonnes rocket yet, and it's not even decided if the rocket will have a 60 tonnes LEO capability. CALT has only announced the 600 tonnes thrust rocket engine project. It is speculation that they will strap together a bunch of these rocket engines for the 1st and 2nd stages of a rocket, which means the payload capacity can be anything between 60-150 tonnes. So, talk about the 60 tonnes or 130 tonnes LEO rocket might actually be related rocket developments because they'll both probably rely on the same rocket engine, the aforementioned 600 tonnes thrust rocket engine. At the very earliest, we can't be expecting this Moon rocket to appear before 2020. Even then, no manned mission would rely on this for a few years. So, I would expect a manned Moon mission to follow sometime after 2024 at the very earliest, more likely after 2028.

With Mars, this is a totally different league. Given what we know about China's rocket developments and the realistic Moon mission schedule, then a Mars mission is more likely after 2040, ASSUMING there even is a manned Mars mission being planned.

You are clue less about China's space capability. Currently China already has 60 ton LEO payload rocket. CZ-5 is use to lunch satalites, this is why they have much lower LEO payload. !!

 

[marshall]

You are clue less about China's space capability. Currently China already has 60 ton LEO payload rocket. CZ-5 is use to lunch satalites, this is why they have much lower LEO payload. !!

Which rocket has 60 tonnes LEO payload capacity? CZ-5 is China's heavy lift rocket program, as in the biggest rocket and it's capacity is limited to a bit over ~25 tonnes. So, you're saying China has something that can lift 60 Tonnes to LEO NOW and that in 2014 it will be increased to 130 tonnes to LEO? That's simply not true. I think you're mixing up the CZ-5 rocket with whatever 130 tonnes LEO rocket you think is coming out in 2014 because the CZ-5 is coming out in 2014.

 

[mnd]

WHAT?

No you are wrong. USA's Saturn V still holds the record for LEO payload. They use Russian rocket because it is much cheaper. You do not need a Saturn V with 120 tons of payload to lunch a 2 ton rocket!!! This is why Americans use Russian rocket to lunch them!

There was not special with the Saturn V, just it was big, and not even american, but german, with Von Braun as chief builder (soviet was Korolyov). As of engines, none of the US ones aproaches th russians in thrust let alone thrust-to-weight or efficiency. The soviet moon rocket, the N-1 was actually more powerfull, and it's engines the most powerfull on earth and 40 years old, wich the US bought in 2009 to power their rockets. Apart from RD-180 wich powers all of their launch vehicles.

 

[CardSharp]

There was not special with the Saturn V, just it was big, and not even american, but german, with Von Braun as chief builder (soviet was Korolyov). As of engines, none of the US ones aproaches th russians in thrust let alone thrust-to-weight or efficiency. The soviet moon rocket, the N-1 was actually more powerfull, and it's engines the most powerfull on earth and 40 years old, wich the US bought in 2009 to power their rockets. Apart from RD-180 wich powers all of their launch vehicles.

My rocket is bigger than your rocket.

 

[below_freezing]

Can anyone tell me why we are going to the moon? If it's just a big F you to America, it's not worth it.

Going to the moon means many things:

1.) shows our astrophysics is just as good as US's and Russia's.
2.) get to test latest communications technology
3.) life support systems get tested for possible future applications related to deep mining and submarines
4.) rockets themselves test ballistic missile capability
5.) test latest navigation equipment

basically going to the moon tests alot of things relevant to a nation's sucess, from telecommunications to nuclear weapons to navigation.