The Long March 12A, China’s first state-owned reusable rocket, made its debut launch on Tuesday morning but the recovery of the first stage was a failure.
It marked China’s second failed bid this month to return an orbital-class booster to Earth, a feat that has so far only been achieved by the United States.
The second stage of the rocket entered its predetermined orbit after its launch at 10am local time, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
The reusable rocket, designed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in China’s northwest.
China’s commercial and state-owned space developers have been racing to launch and recover the country’s first reusable rocket – a feat first achieved a decade ago by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
But efforts from both sectors have so far been unsuccessful, leaving China 10 years behind the US in the technology that could allow it to compete internationally on low-cost, rapid-turnaround missions.
The development of reusable launch vehicles is crucial for the future of China’s space sector, as they are expected to significantly reduce the cost of lifting equipment such as satellites into orbit.
The US is to date the only country to return an orbital-class booster. Reusable rocket pioneer SpaceX was the first to achieve this with the Falcon 9 exactly 10 years ago.
Last month, the Washington state-based Blue Origin’s New Glenn was the second rocket class to achieve this feat.
Reusable rocket technology will make it possible to have more frequent, lower-cost launches and could aid the building of major space projects, including China’s planned internet satellite constellations.
China’s Guowang and Qianfan megaconstellations, which are both planning to launch networks of up to 10,000 satellites, are expected to rival the Starlink constellation developed by SpaceX.
The Long March 12A, also known as the CZ-12A, is a 62-metre-long (203-foot) rocket capable of lifting 12 tonnes into low Earth orbit.
It is derived from the kerosene-fuelled Long March 12 rocket – currently used to launch internet satellites – but has been upgraded to run on methane and liquid oxygen.
In January, a vertical take-off and landing test of the Long March 12A was conducted, although the result of this test was not publicly announced.
On December 3, China launched its first reusable rocket, the Zhuque-3, which reached orbit, but efforts to recover its reusable first stage failed after it crashed near the planned recovery site. Its designer LandSpace, the Beijing-based commercial space company, said an anomaly that occurred during the landing phase was being investigated.
Also waiting for its first launch at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre is the Tianlong-3, a rocket designed by the Beijing-based private aerospace company Space Pioneer for reuse, although it is not expected to attempt a recovery landing on its debut flight.
December has been a busy month for China’s launch schedule, with several satellites deployed on non-reusable rockets this month.
These included three Long March rockets in just one day on December 9, according to China Daily, which said they carried internet satellites, a remote-sensing satellite and an experimental communications satellite. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
