This week Chins rocket startup, Landscape, will have its second attempted launch of the Zhuque-2 medium rocket. Landspace has raised over $340 million.
Zhuque-2 is a medium-sized rocket powered by liquid oxygen and methane capable of lifting 4,000 kg of payload into a 200 km low Earth orbit, or 2,000 kg of payload into a 500 km Sun-synchronous orbit. On 14 December 2022, LandSpace conducted the debut flight of Zhuque-2, but failed to reach orbit due to an early shutdown of its second stage vernier engines after the second stage main engines apparently completed a successful burn.
Zhuque-1 had a takeoff mass of 27 t (30 tons) and a thrust of 45 tf (99,000 lbf), and is able to carry 300 kg (660 lb) of payload into a 300 km (190 mi) low Earth orbit. The maiden flight of Zhuque-1 was on 27 October 2018 from a mobile platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, carrying Weilai-1 satellite for China Central Television. After a successful first- and second-stage firing, and fairing separation, the payload failed to reach orbit due to an issue with the third stage. Zhuque-1 was the first Chinese private orbital rocket to attempt an orbital launch.
Landspace is testing a restartable version of the 80-ton-thrust TQ-12 engine which powers the Zhuque-2 first stage.
High resolution satellite imagery taken on 2023-07-09 at 00:36:51 UTC shows Landspace's Zhuque-2 flight 2 rocket standing vertical on its launch pad at Jiuquan SLC.
As always I've uploaded the full image to @Soar_Earth for interactive browsing: https://t.co/GO42tZOruo pic.twitter.com/BesbsezaOh
— Harry Stranger (@Harry__Stranger) July 9, 2023
Más imágenes del lanzamiento del #Zhuque2. pic.twitter.com/3ZuLsYq4lp
— Space Nøsey (@SpaceNosey) December 15, 2022
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