It also mastered the world's leading intelligent driving technology, and the Chang 6C launch vehicle successfully made its first flight! It opens the family’s first commercial auction
On May 7, 2024, my country’s Long March 6C carrier rocket made its debut. It was successfully launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, successfully sending four satellites including Neptune into predetermined orbits, and the launch mission was a complete success.
As a new force in the Long March series rocket family, the Chang 6C rocket was developed by the Eighth Institute of Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, which further improved the model spectrum of my country's new generation Long March series launch vehicle and promoted the accelerated upgrading of my country's active launch vehicles.
What are its design features? The reporter will reveal the secret to you.
Since its birth, the Chang 6C rocket has made it clear that it is geared toward the commercial launch market. In 2023, the Long March series of rocket launch opportunities will be publicly auctioned for the first time, and the Chang 6C rocket will become the "protagonist" in the bidding for this launch service.
The thrust of this move is the booming development of the domestic commercial aerospace market. The "Blue Book of China's Aerospace Science and Technology Activities" shows that in 2023, my country completed a total of 26 commercial launches and developed and launched 120 commercial satellites, accounting for 54% of the number of satellites developed and launched throughout the year.
During the two sessions in 2024, commercial aerospace was included in the government work report for the first time. At the previous Central Economic Conference, it was also mentioned to "actively create new growth engines such as biomanufacturing, commercial aerospace, and low-altitude economy."
The four satellites launched on this first flight are a ride-sharing launch service that the Aerospace Science and Technology Group has closely followed the market launch demand and implemented through a commercial operation model, laying the foundation for this new rocket to enter the commercial launch market and cover more market needs.
"For commercial launch service users, 'high reliability, high cost performance, strong adaptability, and fast response' are common requirements for launch vehicles." Yu Yansheng, the overall chief designer of the Chang 6 C rocket, said that during the development of the Chang 6 C rocket At this stage, R&D personnel actively carry out innovations at the technical and management levels, striving to make the rocket "easy to use, efficient, and more economical", creating a strong "life gene" for the Chang 6C rocket to accelerate its adaptation to the future commercial launch market, and seeking market development. Optimal solution".
Unlike previous national launch missions, the diversified launch needs of the commercial market often bring more variables. How to remain unchanged in the face of ever-changing conditions? The answer given by the development team is - de-task.
That is to say, first create a "standard rocket" that can adapt to multi-mission requirements and can be put into production in batches on a rolling basis. After the launch mission is clear in the later stage, adaptive processing will be carried out on the "standard rocket" in accordance with the satellite supporting requirements. Installation and improvement.
"It's like the standard and optional equipment when we buy electronic products." Yu Yansheng explained that through the de-mission mode, the mission adaptability and flexibility of the Chang 6C rocket can be effectively improved to meet the high-frequency requirements of the commercial aerospace market. , the demand for high-density launch.
The complete success of the first flight mission also opened a new model of "intelligent driving" for the new generation of launch vehicles.
"Autonomous driving", which is constantly discussed in the market, has been used in the Long March family for a long time. According to the traditional model, the control system, the "brain" and "nerve center" of the launch vehicle, will use parameters set based on the expected flight environment, performance requirements, load points, etc. to achieve "intelligent driving" in specific scenarios.
However, the actual flight process is much more complicated, such as changes in meteorological conditions, especially the vagaries of high-altitude winds, and minor deviations in the rocket structure, which may affect the flight performance of the rocket.
Beginning in 2018, the control system development team conducted preliminary research on AAC technology. In collaboration with a number of universities, the technical route for the AAC controller was clarified and applied in actual combat on the Chang 6C rocket. The Chang 6C rocket has also become the second rocket in the world to apply this technology after the space launch system.
The biggest feature of this technology is that it is both "flexible" and "stable", improving the accuracy and reliability of the rocket's attitude control when facing complex flight environments, such as unpredictable high-altitude winds and potential failures.
Control system developers confirm the status on site.
Imagine that a novice driver who has just obtained his driver's license is driving on the road for the first time. Although the instructor has fully informed you of possible situations that may occur during driving and how to deal with them, unexpected situations may still occur during the actual driving process. .
With the blessing of AAC, it is equivalent to equipping the vehicle with an intelligent driving system. In the face of track deviations caused by strong external interference, it can steer tightly and return to the original "lane" to continue driving; in the face of jitters caused by its own reasons, it can stabilize the "steering wheel" and make a smooth transition, greatly improving its autonomy and reliability and significantly reduce manual preparation before launch.
This provides the Chang 6C rocket with strong payload adaptability. Whether it is a "carpool" or a "special car", it can "depart" quickly, which is more in line with the flexibility and convenience of commercial space launches.
