Get the top spot! Zhuque 2 Yao 2 Liquid Oxygen Methane Carrier Rocket Successfully Launched | Carrier Rocket | Zhuque

At 9:00 am Beijing time on July 12, 2023, the Zhuque 2 Yao 2 carrier rocket was launched from China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and completed the flight mission according to the procedure, achieving a complete success in the launch mission.

This mission is the second flight of the Zhuque 2 carrier rocket.

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What is the significance of China winning the top spot in the global liquid oxygen methane rocket competition?

Zhuque 2 has become the world's first liquid oxygen methane rocket to successfully enter orbit, which is a significant technological advancement in the field of rocket power development.

On July 12th, the Zhuque 2 liquid oxygen methane carrier rocket, independently developed by Blue Arrow Space Technology Co., Ltd., was successfully launched from China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The rocket entered its intended orbit and the test mission was a complete success.

What are the advantages of the rosefinch 2 remote two liquid oxygen methane carrier rocket to be launched?

The Zhuque 2 Yao 2 carrier rocket launched this time adopts a two-stage configuration, with a diameter of 3.35 meters, a total height of 49.5 meters, a takeoff weight of 219 tons, and a takeoff thrust of 268 tons. The first stage of the rocket is composed of four Tianque 80 ton liquid oxygen methane engines in parallel, while the second stage is composed of one Tianque 80 ton liquid oxygen methane engine and one Tianque 10 ton swimming liquid oxygen methane engine.

In recent years, liquid oxygen kerosene or liquid hydrogen liquid oxygen engines that frequently appear in news reports have become familiar rocket engines to the public. So, since we already have these engines, why do we still need to develop liquid oxygen methane engines?

Firstly, the propulsion efficiency of liquid oxygen methane is high, with a theoretical specific impulse of 390 seconds, second only to liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants; The second main reason is that the combustion of liquid oxygen methane propellant does not accumulate carbon, and the ignition mechanism is designed to be easier for engine recycling and reuse, making it very suitable for reusable rockets or aircraft. The third reason is that the boiling points of methane and liquid oxygen are less than 20 ℃, and the insulation requirements between storage tanks are significantly reduced, making it more convenient to introduce a common bottom design and reducing structural weight; The fourth is that methane propellants can be separated from natural gas, oilfield gas, combustible ice, etc., with a wide range of sources and low prices, which can further reduce the cost of rockets.

Zhang Changwu, Chairman and CEO of Blue Arrow Aerospace, stated that liquid oxygen methane rockets were the development direction chosen by Blue Arrow at the beginning of its entrepreneurship. Liquid oxygen methane is easier to obtain and is more advantageous for the development of reusable rockets in the future.

"In the past 60 years, the country has done a lot of development work around liquid oxygen kerosene and hydrogen oxygen engines, and the products are already very mature. In this context, new breakthroughs in technology can have their own place in the market," Zhang Changwu said. "By using a type I rocket, we can achieve lower costs and better reuse, which can establish our competitiveness and fill a gap in the aerospace field."

It is reported that the "Tianque" series engines used in the Zhuque 2 rocket have completed nearly 100000 seconds of ground testing, making it one of the most mature liquid rocket engines in China.

It is reported that Blue Arrow Aerospace has launched a reusable rocket project, with the expectation of making significant progress by 2025. The success of the Zhuque 2 Y2 will significantly accelerate the development process of reusable rockets.

On December 14th last year, the Zhuque 2 rocket launched for the first time. The main engines of the first and second stages of the rocket flew normally, while the second stage aircraft worked abnormally. The launch mission was not successful. After investigation, it was found that the cause was a rupture in the second stage pipeline.

Regarding the problems that occurred with the first rocket, Zhang Changwu explained that during the zeroing process, on the one hand, the faulty parts were solved by redesigning, remanufacturing, re experimenting, and re evaluating; On the other hand, it is based on the management of technical status, conducting comprehensive technical status management reviews, especially for all reviews involving interfaces. In addition, a quality review was conducted on the entire arrow.

Zhuque 2 rocket in transit

Global competition for liquid oxygen methane rockets is fierce

Due to its advantages in economy, environmental friendliness, and performance, liquid oxygen methane engines have become a new favorite in the current aerospace field. Many aerospace powers are actively developing such rocket engines, and who can become the first successfully launched liquid oxygen methane rocket into orbit has become a focus of attention.

On April 20th of this year, SpaceX's "Starship" rocket was launched into space, but exploded and disintegrated during flight. The rocket used a total of 36 230 ton "Raptor" liquid oxygen methane engines for its entire rocket. Later that month, Musk stated on social media that he may be preparing to test launch the Starship again within 1-2 months.

After the unsuccessful maiden flight of the Starship, SpaceX company conducted analysis of the first flight failure, repair of the launch site, and optimization of the launch frame plan. The second Starship has completed the final assembly work and will undergo a second launch in the coming months. Last month, Musk stated that after the first launch of the "Starship" was unsuccessful, the company had made over 1000 modifications to it. The most notable change was that the rocket's overweight booster and spacecraft parts were changed to thermal separation technology, meaning that when the engine on the spacecraft ignited, the overweight booster remained connected to it.

A month before the failure of the Starship, the American Relativity Company's Human-1 rocket, powered by liquid oxygen methane engines, also failed to launch. The first stage of the rocket is equipped with 9 liquid oxygen methane engines called Aeon, with a maximum carrying capacity of 1.25 tons. After the failure of the "Human One" rocket, Relativity Company announced to the public that it would abandon the "Human One" rocket and focus on the more capable "Human R" rocket. The new rocket stage will be equipped with 13 Aeon-R liquid oxygen methane engines, with a maximum carrying capacity of 23.5 tons, and the first stage will use reusable technology.

In addition to the two commercial rockets mentioned above, the new generation of the "Vulcan" large launch vehicle developed by the United States Joint Launch Alliance also uses a liquid oxygen methane engine. The rocket is 61.6 meters high, 5.4 meters in diameter, and has a maximum carrying capacity of about 27 tons. The first stage of the rocket uses a BE-4 liquid oxygen methane engine.

The "Fire God" was originally planned to make its first flight in 2021, but it has been delayed due to technical reasons. On June 8th, the "Vulcan" rocket used for its maiden flight completed its first static ignition test. Two BE-4 engines ignited continuously for about 6 seconds while throttling at 60%, but ULA did not disclose the launch time to the outside world.

Test run of 80 ton "Tianque" liquid oxygen methane engine

In China, in addition to Zhuque 2, several aerospace companies are also developing liquid oxygen methane engines and rockets. At last year's China Air Show, the Sixth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group showcased for the first time the 80 ton liquid oxygen methane engine under development. It is said that the engine has the ability to start 3-4 times and can be used as a power device for the space to earth transportation system, reusable launch vehicles, and low-cost disposable launch vehicles.

The Zhuque 2 rocket has become the world's first liquid oxygen methane rocket to successfully enter orbit, marking a significant breakthrough in the application of new low-cost liquid propellants for Chinese carrier rockets.

According to Blue Arrow Aerospace, the Zhuque 2 spacecraft will be delivered in bulk to the market starting next year. Zhang Changwu said, "Starting from 3 to 4 rounds next year, then doubling the number the year after, and then doubling the number every year for three consecutive years, delivering to the market with such an increase."