China's methane-powered rocket aims to make historic orbit journey
Landspace, a Chinese private space launch provider, is preparing for the second test flight of its Zhuque-2 rocket on July 12. If Zhuque-2 reaches orbit, it would become the first rocket powered by methalox—methane and liquid oxygen—to have done so. The company envisions using such methalox-powered rockets for making trips to Earth orbit and interplanetary flights as well, opening new avenues in space exploration.
Why does this story matter?
The success of the upcoming test flight of Zhuque-2 would be crucial in proving the relevance of methalox-fueled rockets and would mark a big step forward for the space sector. For all we know, such rockets could power missions to planetary destinations that scientists have long been eager to probe and one day be used to send humans to Mars.
What is special about methalox rocket fuel?
Methalox is emerging as a promising rocket fuel. This in part is because it is cleaner, more efficient, and cost-effective. It is also touted to be more suitable for reusable rockets. Compared to conventional liquid fuels like kerosene, methalox does not leave behind residues in the engine. Methane can be manufactured using locally-available resources, something that could be useful on Mars expeditions as well.
Zhuque-2's first test flight in December did not go well
The upcoming test flight becomes all the more important for Landspace considering the first launch of the Zhuque-2 rocket didn't go as expected. During that maiden test flight which happened in December 2022, the rocket did not make it to orbit. All 14 onboard satellites were lost. The mishap occurred due to an issue with the second-stage liquid oxygen inlet pipe on the rocket.
Zhuque-2 stands 162 feet tall
Zhuque-2 is a two-stage rocket that measures about 162 feet in height with a lift-off mass of 2,19,000kg. It is powered by gas generator engines and can produce a thrust of 2,43,000kg. The rocket can ferry payloads up to 6,000kg to a 200km low Earth orbit (LEO), or cargo worth 4,000kg to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), according to Landspace.
Zhuque-2 will take off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Landspace's Zhuque-2, which means "Vermillion Bird-2," will take off at 11:30am IST on July 12 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, northern China. So far, there is no information about the payloads onboard the rocket.
SpaceX Starship also runs on methalox
Several other leading space companies have also chosen to adopt methalox fuel. This list includes Blue Origin's New Glenn, Rocket Lab's Neutron, Relativity Space's Terran R, and SpaceX's Starship, which is currently the world's most powerful rocket. However, SpaceX and Relativity Space's methalox-fueled rockets did not make it to orbit during their maiden flight, which puts Landspace on track to achieve that feat.
