China beats SpaceX by launching a new kind of rocket
Successful liftoff for the Chinese rocket Zhuque-2. A success coupled with a world first. It is the first rocket fueled by liquid methane and oxygen to leave Earth without incident. It overtakes SpaceX’s Starship in the space race.
The engines ignited yesterday at 9 a.m. Beijing time (3 a.m. here) at the Jiuquan launch base in Inner Mongolia. A few hours later, the Suzaku-2 Yao rocket, or Zhuque-2, reaches its orbit and deploys scientific satellites. If the event is important, it is because the rocket developed by the Chinese aerospace company LandSpace is the first in the world to take off with a mixture of liquid methane and oxygen as fuel.
Other industry players have already tried their hand at it. Last spring, Elon Musk’s SpaceX company attempted to launch a similar ship, called Starship. But the rocket exploded in flight three minutes after liftoff. China’s success is a revolution in the history of space exploration and leaves the other big names in the sector like Relativity Space or Blue Origin behind.
The Chinese rocket runs on liquid methane and oxygen
The advantages of this new mixture called the “methalox” (methane plus oxygen) are multiple compared to the kerosene currently used. Already methane is easier to find, because it exists in abundance. By combining it with liquid oxygen, we then obtain a more efficient fuel: at equal power, a methane engine consumes less than a kerosene-powered model.
It is finally less polluting. After its combustion, methane will not leave residue on the walls of the rocket engine. Kerosene leaves traces of carbon that must necessarily be cleaned before using the device again. No longer needed with the metalox.
China has already announced that it wants to mass-produce its new rocket. Enough to further mark its lead over its competitors. For its part, SpaceX intends to catch up quickly, Elon Musk wanting to attempt a new launch of Starship during the summer.
Source : New Atlas
