China launches another rocket with a commercial payload, as part of the accelerated expansion of its space industry

A small but powerful Chinese rocket capable of carrying cost-competitive payloads launched nine satellites into orbit on Saturday, Chinese state media reported, in what is shaping up to be another busy year for Chinese commercial launches.

Jielong-3, or Smart Dragon-3, lifted off from a floating barge off the coast of Yangjiang in the southern province of Guangdong, the rocket’s second launch in just two months.

Developed by China Rocket Co, a commercial subsidiary of a state-owned launch vehicle manufacturer, Jielong-3 made its first flight in December 2022.

President Xi Jinping has called for the expansion of strategic industries, including the commercial space sector, seen as critical to building satellite constellations for communications, remote sensing and navigation.

Also on Saturday, Chinese automaker Geely Holding Group launched 11 satellites to boost its ability to provide more accurate navigation for autonomous vehicles.

Last year, 17 Chinese commercial launches were carried out, with one failure, in a new record of 67 Chinese orbital launches. That number was more than China’s 10 commercial launches in 2022, including two failures.

As of 2023, China has carried out more launches than any other country except the United States, which has made 116 launch attempts, including just under 100 by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Critical to building commercial satellite networks is China’s ability to open more launch windows, expand rocket types to accommodate different payload sizes, reduce launch costs, and increase the number of launch sites, such as construction of more spaceports and the use of sea launch ships.

COSTS

Jielong-3 can carry a 1,500 kg payload into a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit. China Rocket Co had previously said the rocket could carry more than 20 satellites at a launch cost of less than $10,000 per kg, a globally competitive rate for small rockets.

The cost is similar to launches of other small Chinese rockets, including the Long March 11, but the size of their payload is significantly smaller.

The Jielong-3 is comparable to the powerful Lijian-1, which first flew in 2022.

Developed by CAS Space, a commercial spin-off of the Guangzhou-based Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lijian-1 can also send a 1,500kg payload into a 500km sun-synchronous orbit.

Other commercial companies in the Chinese vehicle launch sector include Galactic Energy, whose Ceres-1 rocket is capable of sending a 300kg payload into a 500km sun-synchronous orbit.

Beijing-based Galactic Energy has carried out seven Ceres-1 launches in 2023, compared to four in 2020-2022.

But Galactic Energy suffered its first setback in September last year, with the loss of a Ceres-1 rocket and its payload, forcing the company to apologize to its customers.

Also in the fray is Landspace, whose 2023 launch of Zhuque-2 marked the world’s first successful delivery of a payload via a liquid oxygen-methane rocket and a breakthrough in China’s use of propellants low-cost liquids.

In the field of larger rockets, Orienspace launched Gravity-1 in January from a ship off the coast of Shandong province in the east of the country.

The rocket is capable of sending a payload of up to 6,500 kg into low Earth orbit, making it the most powerful launch vehicle developed by a private Chinese company.

A small rocket carries a payload of up to 2,000 kg, while medium rockets carry up to 20,000 kg and heavy rockets can easily carry more than 20,000 kg. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is capable of lifting 64,000 kg into orbit, but has not yet made this attempt.

Source: Terra

Rose

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