If SpaceX really needed a high energy upper stage they'd likely base it on methane now that they have experience with it. It also eliminates the hydrogen embrittlement and boiloff issues.
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If SpaceX really needed a high energy upper stage they'd likely base it on methane now that they have experience with it. It also eliminates the hydrogen embrittlement and boiloff issues.
Last edited by docmordrid; 2019-Mar-17 at 06:08 AM.
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China is making progress in the development of its Long March-9 rocket.
http://www.ecns.cn/news/sci-tech/201...t8640844.shtml
China has successfully completed a gas generator-turbopump test of the Long March-9 heavy-lift rocket engine, laying the foundation for future development of its heavy-lift launch vehicle programs, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced Tuesday.
The test, which was conducted on Sunday, demonstrated the feasibility of the gas generator-turbopump plan, and created a good basis for subsequent engine programs, noted Li Bin, deputy director of the No.6 Research Institute of CASC.
I am because we are
(African saying)
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More on China's rockets
https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2019/0...-than-usa.html
Thin tiles for Starship
https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2019/0...e-cooling.html
Misc:
https://sattrackcam.blogspot.com/201...d-fiction.html
https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2019/0...trofuture.html
https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2019/0...ls-rocket.html Terrible? Really?
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More information on China's Long March=9.
http://www.ecns.cn/news/2020-11-26/d...h1835513.shtml
The China National Space Administration has revealed design specifications about the Long March 9, a super-heavy carrier rocket that will likely become one of the world's largest and mightiest launch vehicles.
Xu Hongliang, secretary-general of the administration, said on Tuesday afternoon in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, that the Long March 9 is in the research and development stage and is expected to enter service around 2030.
The super-heavy rocket will be 93 meters tall, have a liftoff weight of 4,140 metric tons and a thrust power of 5,760 tons. Its core stage will be about 10 meters in diameter, Xu said at the Wenchang International Aviation and Aerospace Forum's opening ceremony on Tuesday.
The craft will be so powerful that it will be able to transport spacecraft with a combined weight of 140 tons to a low-Earth orbit hundreds of kilometers above the planet, he said.
Li Benqi, deputy head of the Wenchang Space Launch Center's planning department, said at the opening ceremony that the rocket will also be able to place spaceships weighing up to 50 tons in an Earth-moon transfer trajectory for lunar expeditions.
I am because we are
(African saying)
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Entering service around 2030? They really are betting that SpaceX and Starship crash and burn aren't they?Originally Posted by selvaarchi
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I don't think they are betting that, but I'm not sure what the significance is. I mean, I think that other countries (for instance, India) are developing their own heavy boosters, so I'm not sure of the relevance of SpaceX or Starship to that.
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I’m not sure how relevant Starship would be to them. What with ITER they may not have any access to it and want their own heavy left anyway. Eventually, reusable rockets may be sold like commercial aircraft today, but I expect that will take more than a decade and undoubtedly would come with strings attached (a rocket is potentially much more dangerous than a jet plane).
Sure, if Starship is successful, not just functional but meeting goals, I can see them making an effort to build an equivalent, but there is merit in waiting and seeing how it does first.
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And it's quite a useful learning experience to build your own traditional heavy lift booster before attempting to build something Starship-like.
With sufficient thrust, water towers fly just fine.
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