China's Space Program News Thread

[Jiang ZeminFanboy]

^^
Any estimated time to put this engine in service? Because I can't find any data on the internet.

 

[gelgoog]

It is the Frankenrocket to compete with SLS. I think it is supposed to be available until the end of this decade.
The typical design cycle of a rocket engine is 5 years from initial design to engine availability. It typically takes another 5 years to design a rocket once you do have the engines.

The Soviet Union also made a similar rocket engine for the Energia (RD-0120) but the rocket was eventually cancelled as uneconomic.
The USA had a program to upgrade the RS-25 with RD-0120 technologies like the channel wall nozzle but then the Shuttle was also cancelled because of reliability problems.

 

[taxiya]

^^
Any estimated time to put this engine in service? Because I can't find any data on the internet.

It is used by CZ-9, so whenever CZ-9 is launched is the answer. The engine could be ready earlier than CZ-9 as a whole though. So talking about the engine alone is meaningless. It is better to watch the test milestones. So far, the estimated time of building the first full-sized engine is 2021.

 

[Temstar]

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A Long March 8 fairing from the 22/12/2020 launch have been discovered in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

It looks like it's in quite good condition actually.

 

[Quickie]

It is the Frankenrocket to compete with SLS. I think it is supposed to be available until the end of this decade.
The typical design cycle of a rocket engine is 5 years from initial design to engine availability. It typically takes another 5 years to design a rocket once you do have the engines.

The Soviet Union also made a similar rocket engine for the Energia (RD-0120) but the rocket was eventually cancelled as uneconomic.
The USA had a program to upgrade the RS-25 with RD-0120 technologies like the channel wall nozzle but then the Shuttle was also cancelled because of reliability problems.

The CZ-9 configuration is very different from SLS. CZ-9 configuration is closer to that of a giant version of the CZ-5 with a larger payload than the SLS (at least for the current initial Block for the Artemis program currently undergoing testing).

 

[Temstar]

SLS has just failed the ground test today with a major component malfunction, I think it's done for 2021, the two SRBs will be wasted.

 

[SinoSoldier]

SLS has just failed the ground test today with a major component malfunction, I think it's done for 2021, the two SRBs will be wasted.

Not enough released info to conclude that.

 

[Xizor]

Not enough released info to conclude that.

True. But the original test was supposed to be 8 min long and was cut short ( by automatic shutdown of engines). They seem to be investigating the causes.

I'd say neither a failure nor a complete success.

 

[SinoSoldier]

True. But the original test was supposed to be 8 min long and was cut short ( by automatic shutdown of engines). They seem to be investigating the causes.

I'd say neither a failure nor a complete success.

Could be anything from a busted component to a precautionary measure, although I don't expect this to hamper the Artemis missions in any significant way since the RS-25 isn't exactly a new piece of equipment. NASA is denying that this premature cutoff was due to a failure.

 

[Xizor]

Could be anything from a busted component to a precautionary measure, although I don't expect this to hamper the Artemis missions in any significant way since the RS-25 isn't exactly a new piece of equipment. NASA is denying that this premature cutoff was due to a failure.

All things considered, covid-19, SLS protracted development and the SpaceX question...

I'm sure the whole program got shifted by atleast an year. Maybe late 2025 or even 2026.