Chinese pseudo-company Landspace completes static fire test of 1st stage of its Zhuque-3 reusable rocket
The Chinese pseudo-company Landspace today successfully completed a static fire test of 1st stage of its Zhuque-3 reusable rocket, firing all nine engines for 45 seconds.
This lays the groundwork for the first launch attempt of this rocket.
The first Zhuque-3 orbital launch attempt was earlier slated for the third quarter of the year and would carry a prototype of the reusable Haolong cargo spacecraft, designed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute under the Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC). The test is part of a program for low-cost cargo delivery to the Tiangong space station. Landspace did not provide a timeframe for the launch in its static fire test statement.
It appears increasingly that three different Chinese pseudo-companies are getting close to launching reusable rockets within the next year or so. In addition to Landspace, there is CAS-Space (the rocket division of a government agency) and Space Pioneer. In addition, there five other pseudo-companies doing similar rocket hop tests. All are working under the supervision of the government, which requires them to share data.
The Chinese pseudo-company Landspace today successfully completed a static fire test of 1st stage of its Zhuque-3 reusable rocket, firing all nine engines for 45 seconds.
This lays the groundwork for the first launch attempt of this rocket.
The first Zhuque-3 orbital launch attempt was earlier slated for the third quarter of the year and would carry a prototype of the reusable Haolong cargo spacecraft, designed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute under the Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC). The test is part of a program for low-cost cargo delivery to the Tiangong space station. Landspace did not provide a timeframe for the launch in its static fire test statement.
It appears increasingly that three different Chinese pseudo-companies are getting close to launching reusable rockets within the next year or so. In addition to Landspace, there is CAS-Space (the rocket division of a government agency) and Space Pioneer. In addition, there five other pseudo-companies doing similar rocket hop tests. All are working under the supervision of the government, which requires them to share data.