Rocket Report: China Steps Into Reusing Rockets; Now Has 19 People In Orbit

Welcome to the 7.11 Rocket Report! Outside of the billionaire-owned companies of the United States, the most imminent advances in reusable rocketry are coming from China’s quasi-commercial launch industry. That industry is no longer in its infancy. After initially relying on solid-fuel rocket engines apparently derived from Chinese military missiles, privately funded Chinese launch companies are testing larger launchers with varying degrees of success, and are now conducting jump tests reminiscent of the SpaceX Grasshopper and F9R Dev1 programs of more than a decade ago.

As always, we welcome reader submissions. If you don’t want to miss an issue, please sign up using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on the low-, medium-, and high-lift rockets, as well as a quick look at the next three launches on the calendar.

Landspace getting closer to a reusable rocket. Chinese private space startup Landspace has completed a 10-kilometer (33,000-foot) vertical takeoff and landing test on its Zhuque-3 (ZQ-3) multi-use test bed, including an in-flight engine restart in near-hypersonic conditions, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported. The 18.3-meter (60-foot) vehicle lifted off from the Jiuquan launch base in northwest China, climbed to an altitude of 10,002 meters (33,000 feet), then made a vertical descent and achieved a targeted propulsive landing 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) from the launch pad. Notably, the rocket’s methane-fueled, variable-thrust engine intentionally shut down in flight, then reignited for descent, as the engines will be used in future full-size booster rockets. According to Landspace, the test booster rocket used lattice stabilizers and cold gas engines to steer itself while its main engine was dormant.

“All indicators met the expected project” … Landspace called the test a milestone on the company’s path to launching its next rocket, Zhuque-3, as early as next year. With nine methane-fueled main engines, Zhuque-3 will initially be capable of delivering 21 metric tons (46,300 pounds) of payload to low Earth orbit, and its booster will fly in expendable mode. In 2026, Landspace aims to begin recovering Zhuque-3’s first-stage boosters for reuse. Landspace is one of several Chinese companies seriously working on reusable rocket designs. Another Chinese company, Deep Blue Aerospace, says it plans a 100-kilometer (62-mile) suborbital test of a reusable booster soon, ahead of the first flight of its Nebula-1 medium-range rocket next year. (Reported by Ken the Bin)

Isar Aerospace sets itself a very low bar for first-launch success. Daniel Metzler, CEO of German launch startup Isar Aerospace, has said that the Spectrum rocket’s first flight will be a success if it doesn’t destroy the launch pad, European Spaceflight reports. During an interview at the Handelsblatt innovation conference, Metzler was asked what he considers a successful Spectrum inaugural flight. “For me, the first flight will be a success if we don’t blow up the launch pad,” Metzler explained. “That would probably set us back the most in terms of technology and time.” This softening of expectations sounds remarkably similar to what Elon Musk said about the first flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket last year.

On a chair? … Isar Aerospace could be in position to become the first of a new group of European commercial launch companies to attempt a first orbital flight. Another German company, Rocket Factory Augsburg, recently scrapped a possible launch this year after the launch vehicle for the first launch caught fire and collapsed during a test at a launch site in Scotland. Isar plans to launch its two-stage Spectrum rocket, designed to carry up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of payload into low Earth orbit, from the Andøya Space Center in Norway. Isar has not released a timetable for Spectrum’s first flight, but there are indications that the low-profile company is testing the hardware at the Norwegian spaceport. (Submitted by Ken the Bin)

FAA to introduce new regulations for orbital debris. The Federal Aviation Administration is continuing to work on developing rules for the disposal of upper stages when another Centaur upper stage disintegrates in orbit, Space News reported. The FAA released draft rules for public comment a year ago, and the head of the agency’s commercial spaceflight division recently said the rules are “a high priority for our organization.” The rules would require launch operators to dispose of upper stages in one of five ways, from controlled reentry to placement in graveyard orbits or “disposal,” which are not commonly used by operational satellites. One change the FAA could make to the draft rule is to shorten the required timeline for uncontrolled reentry of a discarded upper stage from no more than 25 years to less. “We’ve received a lot of comments saying it should be much shorter,” said Kelvin Coleman, head of the FAA’s commercial spaceflight office. “We’re taking that into consideration.”

Higher grades are a problem … Several recent orbital disintegrations of spent upper stages have highlighted concerns that dead rocket bodies can create unnecessary space debris. Last month, the upper stage of China’s Long March 6A rocket disintegrated in low Earth orbit, creating at least 300 pieces of space debris. More recently, the upper stage of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket disintegrated in a much higher orbit, creating more than 40 pieces of debris. It was the fourth time one of ULA’s Centaur upper stages has disintegrated since 2018. (Submitted by Ken the Bin)