China’s Landspace aims to build a stainless steel rocket Chinese launch startup Landspace has unveiled plans to develop a reusable stainless steel rocket.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/9696971

HELSINKI — Chinese launch startup Landspace has unveiled plans to develop a reusable stainless steel rocket.

The Zhuque-3 (Vermillion Bird 3) will use stainless propellant tanks and clusters of Tianque methane-liquid oxygen propellant rocket engines, according to a presentation by Landspace CEO Zhang Changwu at the Mingyue Lake Aerospace Information Industry International Ecosystem Event in Chongqing, China, Nov. 21.

The two-stage launcher will have a payload capacity of 20 metric tons to low Earth orbit (LEO) when expendable. Recovery of the first stage downrange will allow 16.5 tons to LEO, while a landing back at the launch site will offer a capacity of 11 tons to LEO. A render of the rocket shows grid fins and deployable landing legs on the first stage.

Hmm, sounds suspiciously like a stainless steel Falcon 9 using methalox architecture, no?

  • @[email protected]English
    3•7 months ago

    Hmm, sounds suspiciously like a stainless steel Falcon 9 using methalox architecture, no?

    Robert Zubrin finally getting a mini Starship, just not quite how he expected