SinoSoldier
Colonel
All Chinese launch vehicles would be reusable by 2035, according to a recent strategic plan.
China's Space Program News Thread
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All Chinese launch vehicles would be reusable by 2035, according to a recent strategic plan.
Solid-fuelled boosters and liquid-fuelled rockets are different. It's easier to make solid-fuelled rockets reusable because they have structural integrity built-in whereas liquid-fuelled rockets are reliant on high internal pressure of fuel and oxidiser tanks to maintain structural integrity which means when their fuels and oxidisers are used up and they need to reenter the atmosphere, they inevitably disintegrate due to the forces of air resistance. To make liquid-fuelled rockets possess the necessary structural strength to survive atmospheric reentry with near-empty tanks, it would require designing a rocket from scratch, which the CNSA is likely doing at this exact moment. The current CZ-5/6/7s weren't designed with atmospheric reentry in mind so for the next ten to twenty years, Chinese rockets will remain non-reusable until the next-gens enter service.
China launches land exploration satellite
Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-23 12:48:51|Editor: Lifang
China launches a land exploration satellite into a preset orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert, northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 23, 2017. The satellite is mainly used for remote sensing exploration of land resources. A Long March-2D rocket carried the satellite into space. (Xinhua/Zhen Zhe)
JIUQUAN, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China launched a land exploration satellite into a preset orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert at 12:14 p.m. Saturday Beijing Time.
The satellite is mainly used for remote sensing exploration of land resources.
A Long March-2D rocket carried the satellite into space.
The launch was the 259th mission of the Long March rocket series.
China launches a land exploration satellite into a preset orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert, northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 23, 2017. The satellite is mainly used for remote sensing exploration of land resources. A Long March-2D rocket carried the satellite into space. (Xinhua/Zhen Zhe)
Skywatcher
Captain
I imagine that the actual diameter should be greater than 4 meters (at least, that's how I read it).
The Space Shuttle SRBs are about 3.7m and I don't think a single SSSRB purposed as a SLV would have a 20 ton LEO payload, so about 4.5 meters might be more likely.
SinoSoldier
Colonel
I may have mis-translated the 20/70-ton payload portion. Feel free to correct if wrong.
Also, the article mentions something about "ignition verification" and "full verification" tests. Could you provide a more accurate translation or sort of infer its meaning?
Skywatcher
Captain
Actually, I think your translation is right. The issue I have with the Xinhua article is that should be more clear that the CASIC SRB will have diameter of greater than 4 meters.
Ignition verification should be proof of concept that the basic design of the SRB motor works (probably in a lab). Full verification should be firing a full SRB motor that can be installed into a functional space launch vehicle (presumably on an outdoors test rig/stand).
Speaking of the graphics, for the 70 ton payload variant, are they planning on putting in multiple SRB motors, or just one single, upscaled motor? I'm asking since the graphics suggest only a single nozzle.
The Xinhua article did say "greater than 4 meters"
This article says the exact diameter is 4.2 meters for KZ-21 and KZ-31.
Ignition test is as you said, a proof of concept. It usually last a short time, shorter than burning a full tank of fuel, tens of seconds. Full verification test will burn the full tank, lasting however long time, the full working time of a typical launch.
As the "multiple SRB motors for 70 ton payload", I doubt it. The tank is 4.2 meters one piece, I don't think it works by adding two motors to one single tank. In liquid rocket it works, the fuel is fluid and can be relatively easily pressed to flow to multiple motors. But in solid rocket, I imagine it would be very complicated to do so, so complicated that it is easier to make one single big motor.
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It is not an appropriate of saying. SSSRB is an one stage rocket. It is not supposed to deliver anything to any orbit on its own. It actually can not do that. So there is no comparable figure of SSSRB's LEO capability regardless its thrust.
KZ-x are multi-stage rockets (two). They have two stages of solid rocket. So they have the capability of LEO, GTO etc.
It is a full sized motor (in Chinese cases) on the same outdoor test stand/rig, just a much shorter time than the full verification.
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