Why do we still need to develop private rockets? The national team is so strong

One arrow and four stars, shining in the sea and sky!

On September 5th, China's private rocket company, Xinghe Power, successfully completed the launch mission of the Gu Shen Xing 1 sea launched carrier rocket in Haiyang and nearby waters, Shandong, and successfully launched four satellites into an 800 kilometer predetermined orbit.

This is the first time a Chinese private rocket company has successfully launched a sea launch mission. Compared to land launch, sea launch is a new mode with strong flexibility, good task adaptability, and excellent launch economy. It can flexibly select launch points and landing areas, meet various orbital payload launch needs, and effectively solve the long-term safety issues of landing areas that the outside world is concerned about.

Of course, this also means higher technical requirements and greater implementation difficulties. Only a few countries in the world have the ability to conduct sea shooting.

The launch of the Ceres 1 sea launched carrier rocket has been successful.

In April 2014, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully landed in the Atlantic Ocean with its first stage booster after being launched into space, achieving the first ever rocket soft landing in history. This milestone event in the history of human spaceflight has also stirred the nerves of the global media.

Almost at the same time, China experienced a policy breakthrough in private aerospace. This year, the government explicitly proposed from a policy perspective to support the participation of private capital in the construction of national civil space infrastructure. The following year, the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Finance, and National Defense Science and Industry Bureau jointly issued the "Medium - and Long Term Development Plan for National Civil Space Infrastructure", which clearly conveyed support for private rocket and satellite industries.

Since then, China's private aerospace industry has emerged, and many rocket and satellite enterprises have grown like mushrooms after rain. However, under the trend of technology accumulation and market washing, China's private aerospace industry has gone through a cycle from explosive to calm in the past decade. Now, with leading enterprises such as Blue Arrow Aerospace, Interstellar Glory, Xinghe Power, Changguang Satellite, and Micro Nano Sky breaking through and emerging, China's private aerospace industry has also entered a harvest period. In 2023 alone——

In April, the Tianlong 2 liquid carrier rocket developed by Tianbing Technology successfully made its first flight, setting a record for the first successful flight of private liquid rockets worldwide;

In June, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation successfully launched the "Lijian-1" YJ-2 carrier rocket, which was developed with the participation of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. This rocket used the "26 stars per rocket" method, setting a new record for China's highest number of satellites per rocket;

In July, the Zhuque 2 YJ-2 liquid oxygen methane carrier rocket independently developed by Blue Arrow Aerospace was successfully launched, becoming the world's first liquid oxygen methane rocket to successfully enter orbit for flight

If we say that the glory of soaring to the sky and chasing dreams in the past was mostly brought by the "national team"; So now, China's private aerospace industry is launching a strong push into space, bringing more and more surprises to the Chinese people.

People often ask why our "national team" is so strong, so we need to put in a lot of effort to launch private rockets and expand private aerospace?

Market demand is the biggest driving force. Currently, satellites are widely used in fields such as communication, remote sensing, and navigation. For example, "satellite Internet" is included in the new infrastructure category, and 6G network construction urgently needs satellite networking; Satellite remote sensing is indispensable in areas such as infrastructure surveying and environmental monitoring; The construction of sea, land, and air transportation, precision agriculture, and smart cities is advancing, and satellite navigation has become an essential prerequisite

The increasing demand for applications has put forward higher requirements for the launch capability and launch density of a country's rockets. As some industry insiders have said, "Rockets are a core and foundation of aerospace engineering. The carrying capacity of rockets determines the size of the space stage." However, the reality is that the current domestic micro satellite market is booming, and many small satellites want to "carpool to the sky". However, it is difficult to find a rocket for the "national team".

More importantly, internationally, orbital resources have always followed the principle of first come, first served. Currently, many countries are actively deploying satellite launches with the aim of occupying as many seats as possible.

At this time, private aerospace companies will catch up, fill the gap in the national team's rocket lineup, and form differentiated competition, undoubtedly greatly enhancing the vitality and competitiveness of China's aerospace industry.

Objectively speaking, although China's private aerospace industry started late, its starting point is actually not low.

For the entire industrial system in China, aerospace has always been one of our flagship industries. Just as companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are exploring on the ladder of American technology industry, the innovation and breakthrough of Chinese commercial aerospace enterprises cannot be separated from the accumulation and precipitation of China's aerospace industry for decades.

On the one hand, the R&D backbone of private aerospace enterprises currently mainly comes from the "technology flow" within the system. Many entrepreneurs in the past were still industry giants, and the talent transmission and project incubation role of the "national team" is obvious.

On the other hand, developing a launch vehicle is a massive and complex system engineering project, with sometimes over 100000 rocket components, which cannot be completed by a single company. The reason why private aerospace enterprises can quickly develop high-precision and cutting-edge rocket products is because there is a huge traditional aerospace industry chain behind them.

The foundation is good, but there is no shortcut to heaven. "Trial and error and catching up" has always been the main theme of China's private aerospace industry.

Looking at rocket manufacturing alone, it is widely recognized in the industry as a field with high investment, long cycle, and high risk. It involves many aspects such as structural design, production process, fuel injection, launch and entry, and timing of departure. Any small mistake can lead to the failure of the entire mission. Taking the Falcon rocket of the "hardcore benchmark" SpaceX as an example, its launch failure or even explosion is nothing new.

In addition, under the influence of market laws, there are also differences in the paths between private aerospace and national teams. For example, compared to solid fuels, private enterprises such as Blue Arrow Aerospace are more inclined to choose low-cost, easily obtainable, and efficient liquid fuels such as liquid oxygen and methane. However, there has been no successful experience in the industry regarding liquid oxygen methane carrier rockets before, which means that every step requires companies to fully explore.

The launch of the Zhuque 2 Yao 2 carrier rocket has been successful.

The inherent charm of aerospace gives every person involved a spontaneous sense of mission. This is the voice of private aerospace entrepreneurs and the spiritual driving force that drives them to overcome difficulties.

Without special spirit, there will be no special achievements. Especially capable of enduring hardship, fighting, tackling challenges, and dedicating themselves, for decades, generations of Chinese astronauts have persevered and worked hard with a tenacity that never gives up, resulting in today's "glory of suffering". With the overflow and flow of talents, this spirit is also inherited in the cultural bloodline of private aerospace enterprises.

In the face of failure, they dare to go back to zero. After the failure of the launch of the Zhuque-2 Yaoyi carrier rocket, although the enterprise was unwilling, it immediately carried out a "zero return" verification. Within less than a year, the Zhuque-2 Yaoyi arrow shone in the sky;

Faced with difficulties, they boldly innovate. In order to control costs, the Ceres rocket series uses a low chamber pressure, high specific impulse, and high loading ratio attitude and orbit control power system, achieving weight reduction and efficiency improvement, and improving transportation efficiency;

Faced with the gap, they can endure loneliness. The engineers of Blue Arrow Aerospace rushed to the mountain ditch and bravely took out the engine test bench, enhancing the support capability required for engine development

The journey is always bumpy and muddy, and the risk of failure always comes with it. However, as long as you hold onto your beliefs and walk firmly, it is a clear blue sky.

Why can China's aerospace industry? The answer lies in this spirit, in the inheritance and continuation of the spirit.

Technological innovation is a win-win situation, and every step taken to overcome difficulties requires careful care.

Back then, Musk was only able to withstand three failed launches with $100 million. If the fourth attempt still failed, the company would go bankrupt. From this perspective, our private aerospace enterprises should be more patient with them and provide them with more support, which is also the key to innovation breakthrough.

From a practical perspective, in recent years, there has been considerable support from various regions for related industries. Taking Beijing as an example, in the Yizhuang Economic and Technological Development Zone, an area circled by Ronghua South Road and Disheng Street is known as China's "Rocket Street", gathering 180 affiliated enterprises of the Star Arrow Network.

According to incomplete statistics, in the past three years, Beijing Yizhuang has provided direct subsidies of over 30 million yuan to aerospace enterprises. Policies such as talent introduction, talent evaluation, work and residence permits, public rental housing, and investment from science and technology innovation funds have greatly benefited aerospace enterprises. For example, just two months before the launch of the Zhuque 2 Yao 2 carrier rocket, the first project of the Beijing Yizhuang Industrial Upgrade Equity Investment Fund was invested in Blue Arrow Aerospace.

Some economists describe the private economy as "if it encounters a spring breeze, it will flourish and flourish everywhere." With the surging spring tide, opportunities ahead, clear strategies, and practical policies, private aerospace enterprises have advantages such as high marketization, efficient decision-making, strong incentives, quick response, and wide reach. They can find their positioning, grow tenaciously, practice hard, and seize the opportunity to create more surprises.

"Dapeng rises with the same wind one day, soaring up 90000 miles."

Looking back on our journey, we have achieved remarkable results; Compared to international standards, we still have gaps.

As the saying goes: Humans may be small in the face of the vast universe, but their spirit of exploration must be great.

To forge ahead in the face of China's private aerospace industry, with a spirit of perseverance, firm beliefs, and down-to-earth work, will undoubtedly be a broader sea of stars.

The launch of the Lijian-1 Yao-2 carrier rocket has been successful.