A role model for Chinese scientists as well: SpaceX's "Starship". © SpaceX/Imago
The "Starship" of the US space company SpaceX is the most powerful space rocket of all time. China also seems to be convinced of the technology.
This article is IPPEN. MEDIA in the course of a cooperation with the China.Table Professional Briefing – it was first published by China.Table on May 23, 2023.
Beijing – When Elon Musk's "Starship" recently took off on its first test flight, engineers at the Beijing Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) took a close look. After the launch, which ended with an explosion of the giant rocket, they published on Weibo a detailed analysis of the flight, as well as the reasons for the failure of the attempt.
The interest of the Chinese in the largest rocket of Elon Musk's space company SpaceX to date is no coincidence. CALT's mission is to develop "Long March 9", a similarly advanced heavy-lift rocket. And in other cases, too, the People's Republic is following the US model.
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But the bar could hardly be higher: "Starship" is the most powerful rocket in the history of space travel. It is intended to carry cargo of more than 100 tons into space – and one day also people to Mars. Both stages, i.e. booster and spaceship, should be recyclable, which would massively reduce costs.
China's rocket strikingly similar
Although Musk is lagging behind schedule with his "Starship" and has not yet had a successful launch, China seems to firmly believe in the "Starship" concept. At the end of last year, CALT announced its intention to work on a reusable rocket instead of a conventional rocket in the development of China's largest heavy-lift rocket to date, "Long March 9".
More details were given at Space Day on April 24 in the city of Hefei. There, the engineers presented their latest model, which looks very similar to the "Starship". The usually well-informed US space journalist Andrew Jones reports that China is aiming for the first launch of the "Long March 9" for the year 2033. However, there will be several versions of the rocket. Initially, it will only be partially reusable. It will not be until around 2040 that all stages of the rocket will be able to take off and land several times.
Later to Mars
According to Jones, China is even accepting delays in planned missions for the change of course. Both the construction of a Sino-Russian space station and a manned Chinese flight to Mars could be postponed for several years. Both missions rely on the new heavy-lift rocket.
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However, if China succeeds in developing the reusable rocket, future transport flights into space are likely to become much cheaper. This also applies to the construction of a solar power plant in Earth orbit. Chinese state media have already reported on such plans several times.
China's mysterious space glider
For the planned manned moon mission of the Chinese, the new mega-rocket is not to be used. For this purpose, the "Long March 10" has been developed for some time. This rocket, which is also reusable, is less powerful than the "Long March 9". But it will be enough to take astronauts to the moon. According to Jones, she could make her first flight in 2027. Before the end of this decade, Beijing wants to create a successful moon landing.
It is not only in the "Long March 9" that China is imitating the technology of the Americans. It was only at the beginning of May that a new Chinese multi-purpose spacecraft returned to Earth after more than 276 days in space. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) spoke of an "important breakthrough". With the glider, there will be a "more practical and cost-effective way to the peaceful use of space" in the future, it said.
It was the second test of the mysterious spacecraft. There had already been a four-day flight in 2020, about which little was known. There are also no pictures of the new space glider so far. However, experts suspect that it could resemble the American Boeing X-37B in size and design.