China's Space Program News Thread

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mys_721tx

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Through some digging I fond this on
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, which incorrectly label it as the first stage of a LM-2D. It is wrong on two accounts: This style of interstage lattice is only present on the second stage of LM-2E/F, LM-2D has the original DF-5 style lattice.

But back to the original question, it seems that the engine fairing design is unique to the LM-2C demonstrator.

long-march-2D-1st-stage-Jilin-1-qinghai-20151021-3.jpg
 

by78

General
Zoom in for a closer look at the grid fins...

(2656 x 1427)
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Hendrik_2000

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UPDATE 1-Chinese space startup revs up for reusable rocket race
Chinese private space startup Linkspace completed its third vertical takeoff and landing (VTVL) rocket test, taking a step further in its development of a recyclable orbital rocket. It reached a new height of 300 meters before landing steadily and accurately at the designated area.
(Adds comments from LinkSpace CEO on next-generation rocket)
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BEIJING, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Chinese startup LinkSpace on Saturday completed its third test of a reusable rocket in five months, stepping up the pace in China's race to develop a technology key to cheap space launches in an expected global boom in satellite deployment.

LinkSpace's RLV-T5 rocket blasted off in a desert in western Qinghai province at 0230 GMT. It flew as high as 300 metres (984 feet) before returning to the launchpad on its own after 50 seconds, CEO Hu Zhenyu, 26, told Reuters.

The Beijing-based company aims to launch its next-generation RLV-T16 next year that will be capable of reaching an altitude of up to 150 kilometres, Hu said.

The RLV-T5 previously hovered 20 metres and 40 metres above the ground in two tests in March and April respectively.

China envisions constellations of commercial satellites that can offer services ranging from high-speed internet for aircraft and rural areas to tracking coal shipments and commuter traffic.

Reliable, low-cost and frequent launches will be key, with recoverable or partially recoverable rockets like the Falcon 9 from Elon Musk's SpaceX one pathway to eventually affordable satellite deployment missions.

SpaceX has already used recoverable rockets on a number of orbital missions since a historic launch early in 2017, spurring Europe, Russia, Japan and China to speed up their own research into the technology or at least consider studying it.

LinkSpace's test flight on Saturday came on the heels of a historic delivery of a satellite into orbit last month by privately owned Chinese firm iSpace.

Beijing-based iSpace told Reuters last week that it was also planning to launch a recoverable rocket, in 2021.

The reusable design of its next-generation rocket could lead to a predicted cost reduction of 70%, iSpace estimated.

LinkSpace previously told Reuters it hoped to charge no more than 30 million yuan ($4.25 million) per reusable launch.

That's a fraction of the $25 million to $30 million needed for a launch on a Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems Pegasus, a commonly used small rocket. The Pegasus is launched from a high-altitude aircraft and is not reusable. ($1 = 7.0613 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Joseph Radford and Stephen Powell)
 

Rachmaninov

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China's commercial carrier rocket Smart Dragon-1 makes maiden flight
Source: Xinhua 2019-08-17

JIUQUAN, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's new carrier rocket Smart Dragon-1 (SD-1), designed for commercial use, made its maiden flight on Sunday, sending three satellites into planned orbit.

The rocket, developed by the China Rocket Co. Ltd. affiliated to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT), blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 12:11 p.m. (Beijing Time).
 

Hendrik_2000

Lieutenant General
Yup here is the video
China state agency successfully launches rocket for commercial use: CCTV
Reuters 8 hours ago
Smart Dragon-1 launch vehicle launched three satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, northwest China, on 17 August 2019, at
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UTC (
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local time). Smart Dragon-1 (SD-1, also known as Lightning Dragon No.1, Jielong-1, 捷龙一号) is a new solid-propellant rocket developed by the China Rocket Co. Ltd. affiliated to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT). According to official sources, SD-1 has a total length of 19.5 meters, a diameter of 1.2 meter, a takeoff weight of about 23.1 tonnes and is capable of sending 200 kg payloads to a Sun-synchronous orbit with at an altitude of 500 km.
BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese government space agency successfully launched on Saturday its first rocket meant for commercial use, state television CCTV reported, as firms in the country compete to join a commercial satellite boom.

Smart Dragon-1 rocket, which weighs 23 tonnes and was developed by a unit of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), successfully delivered three satellites into orbit after a launch in Jiuquan, Gansu, CCTV said.

China envisions constellations of commercial satellites that can offer services ranging from high-speed internet for aircraft to tracking coal shipments. Reliable, low-cost and frequent rocket launches will be key for that.

Smart Dragon-1, whose research and development budget came from social capital rather than state funding, is a demonstration of China's drive to commercialize the rockets sector, where more private rocket firm are allowed to enter the market to compete with each other, CCTV said.

Last month, Beijing-based iSpace became the first private firm to deliver a satellite into orbit on its rocket. Since late last year, two other startups have attempted to launch satellites but have failed.

(Reporting by Pei Li and Ryan Woo; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

SD-1 via LKJ86
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
2019/08/17 12:11
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anzha

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Registered Member
China’s new communications satellite, ChinaSat 18, is suffering problems on orbit, according to media reports.

The satellite’s launch aboard a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Monday went as planned, the reports say. However ,the satellite began to malfunction after separation from the upper stage.

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