Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Science and Technology
Why in News?
Recently, China has successfully executed its first-ever controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster.
- China launched its new Long March 10B carrier rocket from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site.
- Stages - The 2-stage rocket successfully deployed its satellite payload into target orbit.
- Milestone - With this landing, China becomes only the 2nd nation in the world after the United States to successfully recover an orbital launch vehicle booster.
- Long March 10B Technical Specs – It is a liquid-fueled carrier rocket with a 5-meter core diameter.
- Its first stage is powered by seven YF-100K engines burning a kerosene-liquid oxygen (LOX) mix, while the upper stage utilizes liquid methane-LOX.
- It can carry up to 16,000 kg to LEO in its reusable configuration.
Comparison of U.S. and China Models
- Working - As the 63-metre-tall booster descended under its own thrust toward the recovery vessel Linghangzhe, it deployed 4 specialised landing hooks.
- These hooks engaged tensioned cables strung across a flexible, hydraulic-damped net platform, arresting the rocket mid-air and neutralising the remaining kinetic energy.
- Landing legs add deadweight, reducing the total mass a rocket can ferry to space.
- By shifting the structural engineering burden from the vehicle to the sea-based platform, the rocket can maximize its fuel efficiency and payload capacity.
- Significance
- The Gateway to China's Moon Program
- Unjamming the Satellite Megaconstellation Bottleneck
- Accelerated Reflight Ambitions
Quick Facts
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Global Reusability Landscape
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- USA - Leading globally with SpaceX’s operational Falcon 9 / Falcon Heavy (vertical landing struts) and Starship (mechanical "chopstick" arm catches).
- India (ISRO) - Actively developing the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), designed as a reusable vertical-landing rocket for the commercial market.
- Europe (ESA) - Conducting pad-testing of its Themis reusable rocket prototype.
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Reference
Reuters | China tests sea-based rocket booster recovery system
