The Chinese version of Starship is about to take off, and the stainless steel shell is catching up

Mondo Home Updated on 2024-01-29

Recently, China's Suzaku 2 Yao-3 carrier rocket was successfully launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

This is the third mission of the rocket, in which the Suzaku-2 Yao-3 carrier rocket successfully completed the mission of "one arrow and three stars", that is, the "Honghu satellite, Tianyi-33 satellite, and Honghu-2 satellite" were simultaneously put into the predetermined orbit. In the end, the rocket successfully entered orbit, and the launch mission was successfully completed!

It is worth mentioning that this rocket is the world's first liquid oxygen methane rocket successfully put into orbit. Previously, it was said that the American company SpaceX also made a Starship rocket, which also used liquid oxygen methane fuel, however, it was not successfully launched, and even two consecutive test flights ended in failure. And now, the successful launch of Suzaku 2 means, to some extent, that we have surpassed the United States in the field of liquid oxygen methane launch vehicles.

On the one hand, this proves that the quality of the Suzaku 2 itself has reached the qualified standard;On the other hand, it also shows that commercial rockets using liquid oxygen methane as fuel have entered a stable stage and can be put into large-scale use in the future.

In particular, it should be emphasized that liquid oxygen methane is also one of the main fuels for rockets. The complexity of rocket technology makes it impossible to produce it on a large scale on an industrial scale, making its manufacturing and launching process a costly investment, often in the hundreds of millions of dollars. In order to reduce costs, "Ke**" has become an important part of rocket research and development.

For example, the "Starship" of the American SpaceX company is a rocket that can be used. In order to further save costs, Starship uses a large number of stainless steel materials, which makes it more durable in low temperature environments. In addition, the cost of stainless steel is also lower than that of aluminum-lithium alloys commonly used in rockets. Although Starship has not yet been successfully launched, its related research is already leading the world.

However, China's rocket development is also catching up. Relevant reports show that after the successful launch of the Suzaku 2 Yao-3 launch vehicle, the next generation of the Suzaku 3 rocket is also being planned. The biggest highlight of this rocket is its reusable characteristics, which can even be reused up to 20 times. Compared to disposable rockets, the launch cost can be reduced by 80% to 90%. At the same time, it uses a stainless steel structure, which can significantly reduce the manufacturing cost of the rocket and shorten the production cycle.

Zhang Changwu, founder of Blue Arrow Aerospace, revealed that the Suzaku 3 rocket plans to conduct multiple flight verifications next year to prepare for full arrow flight. It is expected that in 2025, our rocket will enter the ** stage and be ready for the first flight. This important milestone not only marks a step forward for China's private commercial aerospace to achieve the goal of being the best rocket, but also symbolizes the rapid development of China's aerospace industry and its firm pursuit of the sea of stars.

It is foreseeable that with the continuous progress and improvement of China's rocket technology, China's aerospace industry will make greater breakthroughs in the future. Let's look forward to the wonderful performance of China's aerospace in the sea of stars!List of high-quality authors

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