China's Space Program Thread II
- Thread starter Blitzo
- Start date
To further amplify details of the satelliteHigh-resolution images of the Gaofen-13-02 launch from earlier today. This was the 468th flight of the Long March series.
Here's a question. Why aren't launches done from the Tibet-Qinghai plateau region? Then you've already got the first 4-5km of ascent covered. Must yield some some cost saving?
How exactly do you transport a rocket up a mountain like that?
It's not a mountain its a plateau. Same way you get anything else into Tibet.
The difficulty of transportation into Tibet is why prices for goods in Tibet are higher than elsewhere in China even after the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway.
This is a common misconception in rocketry. To launch something into orbit, altitude is strictly secondary to sideways speed. You need a speed of at least 7.8 km/s (28,000 kph) to reach and then keep something in orbit around this planet.
If altitude was important enough, then launching from large balloons or carrier aircraft would be a lot, LOT more popular than it is. And while there are some very small benefits from launching higher up in the atmosphere (drag, better engine nozzle expansion ratios)...the cons certainly out-weigh them.