The Kuaizhou-11 low-cost, solid-propellant light carrier rocket, developed by China Aerospace Sciences and Industry Corporation (Casic), will make its first launch this year, putting heli-synchronous satellites into low-Earth orbit. This was announced by the Chinese news agency "Xinhua", according to which the new carrier rocket will allow launches at a cost of less than 10 thousand dollars per kilogram of cargo.
"Compared to ordinary rockets, the Kuaizhou-11 has a shorter preparation time", explained to "Xinhua" Hu Shengyun, Casi official and deputy of the Aerospace Assembly: The rocket will carry the central module and other experimental sections into orbit. of the future Chinese orbiting base. China is already working to select the third group of astronauts for future human space exploration plans this year. The astronauts will include not only pilots, but also engineers. In addition, Beijing is working on the development of other unmanned cargo rockets. The Cmseo spokesman also stated that the Chinese agency intends to cooperate with the United Nations (UN) regarding the management of affairs concerning outer space and the opportunities offered by the new Chinese space station.
Li Hong, president of the China Academy for Launch Vehicle Technology, a leading Chinese carrier rocket manufacturer and subsidiary of China Aerospace Science Technology Corporation (Casc), provided new details regarding Beijing's plans for the development of carrier rockets and the continuation of the national space program. Interviewed by CCTV, Li stated that China intends to launch 36 Long March rockets in 2018, more than double the 16 last year and the record of 22 launches in 2016. Along with the other commercial launches planned for this year. year, in 2018 the overall launches carried out by China could be over 40. Li specified that this year 14 rockets of the Long March 3 family will be launched, ten of which will bring satellites into orbit for the Chinese satellite navigation and positioning system Beidou .
Eight of these will carry pairs of satellites for middle orbit. In total, the Long March 3 rockets are expected to be the protagonists of 40 launches between 2018 and 2022. The Long March 2 will be launched six times this year, and in recent days a rocket of this category has arrived at the launch center satellite of Jiuquan, in the Gobi desert, after a 3km rail journey from Shanghai.
Beijing will also launch four XMUMX Long-range solid-propellant light rockets from land platforms; the first of these launches took place in January, and transported the Jilin-11 commercial satellite, some Cubesat and the first satellite of the Canadian Kepler Communications into orbit.
This year, China will also carry out the first launch of a Long March 11 satellite from a floating platform, developed from a cargo ship. The floating platforms will allow launches from locations closer to the equator, reducing costs and collateral risks.
Meanwhile, the development of the 8 Long-Distance Medium-carrier rocket continues, which should provide China with a competitive advantage in the booming market.
Last year, China formulated ambitious goals related to space exploration: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (Castc), the main contractor of the Chinese space program, published a long-term roadmap for the development of extra-space transport. atmospheric, which aims to dramatically expand capacity and reduce the costs of accessing space.
The document outlines a series of ambitious technological and scientific objectives to be achieved by 2045, starting from the launch capabilities via rockets, which Casc intends to enhance by 2020, also thanks to the entry into service of the new Lunga Marcia 5 and 7 carriers. The Chinese contractor intends to acquire by 2025 a reusable spacecraft equipped with two-stage engines for suborbital flight, which should be destined for tourism.
By 2030, the first super-heavy rocket, already named Long March 9, with a load capacity of more than 100 tons, should enter service. Casc has set 2035 as the date for the adoption of a fully reusable space carrier fleet, following in the footsteps of the technologies currently being tested by the American Space X and Blue Origin.
A new generation of spacecraft should be introduced from China in 2040, capable of multiple interstellar travel and capable of commercial exploitation of sidereal resources, for example through the extraction of minerals from asteroids and the construction of large photovoltaic parks. space. Also 2040 was identified by Casc as the deadline for the development of an unspecified propulsion shuttle.
China will become a superpower in space exploration by 2045, bridging gaps with the US in several aerospace projects, said Lei Fanpei, president of Castc, the leading state-owned company for the Chinese space program, on the sidelines of 19 ° National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held last October in Beijing.
By 2020, Lei said, China will put more than 200 satellites and spacecraft into orbit, with an average of 30 launches each year; the country will overtake the European Union and become a full-fledged space power by that date, added the official, according to which to date "30 percent of the technical indicators" of the Chinese aerospace sector are now at the forefront, and by by 2030, the percentage will double to 60 percent, thus overtaking Russia as the second space power.
According to you, by 2045 China will have technical capabilities comparable to those of the United States in key sectors, and thus will be a global space power in every respect. Castc's next goal, its president said, is the construction of China's first permanent orbital space station, which will allow China a leap forward in advanced engineering and scientific projects.
Ag. Nova