LandSpace Technology Corporation
LandSpace
Native name
蓝箭航天空间科技股份有限公司
TypePrivate
IndustryAerospace
FoundedJune 2015 (2015-06)[1]
FounderZhang Changwu (张昌武)[2]
Headquarters
Beijing
,
China
Websitelandspace.com
Footnotes / references
[3]
LandSpace Technology Corporation
Simplified Chinese蓝箭航天空间科技股份有限公司
Traditional Chinese藍箭航天空間科技股份有限公司
LandSpace
Simplified Chinese蓝箭航天
Traditional Chinese藍箭航天

LandSpace Technology Corporation (doing business as LandSpace)[4][5] is a Chinese private space launch provider based in Beijing.[6] It was founded in 2015 by Zhang Changwu.[6][7]

Since its founding, the company has established several aerospace infrastructure sites in Zhejiang, including a $1.5 billion medium and large-scale liquid rocket assembly and test plant in Jiaxing and an intelligent manufacturing base in Huzhou.[8]

LandSpace developed its first launch vehicle Zhuque-1, powered by solid-propellant motors. Zhuque-1 was launched on 27 October 2018, however the payload failed to reach orbit due to an issue with the third stage.[9][10] The company also developed the liquid-fueled Zhuque-2, which became the first methalox rocket in the world to reach orbit after a successful second flight on 12 July 2023.[11]

Launch vehicles

Zhuque-1

Zhuque-1

Zhuque-1 (ZQ-1, Chinese: 朱雀一号 or 朱雀·南太湖号), also called LandSpace-1 or LS-1 (the name LandSpace-1 or LS-1 was originally reserved for a different rocket that did not in the end materialise;[10] after cancellation of the rocket, the name LandSpace-1 was then affiliated to LandSpace's rocket-to-be-developed at the time, the Zhuque-1), is a 19-metre (62 ft) tall, three-stage solid-propellant rocket. All stages have a diameter of 1.35 m. It is likely based on the DF-26 missile's rocket motor.[12] Zhuque-1 has a takeoff mass of 27 t (30 tons) and a thrust of 45 tf (99,000 lbf), and is able to carry 300 kg (660 lb) of payload into a 300 km (190 mi) low Earth orbit (LEO).[9]

The maiden flight of Zhuque-1 was on 27 October 2018 from a mobile platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, carrying Weilai-1 satellite for China Central Television. After a successful first- and second-stage firing, and fairing separation, the payload failed to reach orbit due to an issue with the third stage.[9][10] Zhuque-1 was the first Chinese private orbital rocket to attempt an orbital launch.[13]

According to news reports, the manufacturer of the solid rocket motors has ended its contract with LandSpace. This raised doubts as to whether there will be a second flight of Zhuque-1.[12] Following the launch, LandSpace announced it would advance its focus from Zhuque-1's simple solid-propellant towards the development of a methane-fuelled Zhuque-2.[8]

Zhuque-2

Zhuque-2 (ZQ-2) is a medium-sized liquid-fuelled rocket powered by liquid oxygen and methane capable of lifting 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) of payload into a 200 km (120 mi) LEO, or 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) of payload into a 500 km (310 mi) Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).[6][14] The rocket was initially planned to be launched in 2020,[15] however by 2019 this had slipped to 2021,[16] and later to December 2022. On 12 July 2023, Zhuque-2 became the first methane-fueled launch vehicle to reach orbit after a successful second flight.[14][8]

Launches

Rocket & serial Flight number Date Payload Orbit Launch site Outcome Notes
Zhuque-1[9][10] 27 October 2018,
08:00 UTC		 Weilai-1 ('Future-1') satellite LEO Jiuquan Failure 3 solid-fuel stages; 3rd stage anomaly.
Zhuque-2[17] Y1 14 December 2022,
08:30 UTC		 Various SSO Jiuquan, Site 96 Failure First methane launch vehicle to reach space.
Zhuque-2[14] Y2 12 July 2023,
01:00 UTC		 No payload (flight test) SSO Jiuquan, Site 96 Success First methane launch vehicle to reach orbit.
Zhuque-2 Y3 8 December 2023,
~23:40 UTC		 Unknown Payload SSO Jiuquan, Site 96 Planned

Marketplace

LandSpace is in competition with several other Chinese space rocket startups, being LinkSpace, Galactic Energy, ExPace, i-Space, OneSpace and Deep Blue Aerospace.[18]

References

  1. ↑ 关于我们 [About Us]. landspace.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Zhang Changwu". APSCC Satellite Conference & Exhibition. Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "About Us". landspace.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  4. ↑ 北京蓝箭空间科技有限公司(landspace) [Beijing Blue Arrow Space Technology Co., Ltd. (landspace)]. China Spaceflight (in Chinese). 30 September 2017. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  5. ↑ Kenhmann, Henri (8 October 2016). "LandSpace: le futur SpaceX chinois" [LandSpace: the future Chinese SpaceX]. East Pendulum (in French). Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Lin, Jeffrey; Singer, P. W. (23 January 2017). "A private Chinese space company just scored a foreign contract for the first time". Popular Science. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  7. ↑ Dillow, Clay (28 March 2017). "China's secret plan to crush SpaceX and the US space program". CNBC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Jones, Andrew (12 July 2023). "China's Landspace reaches orbit with methane-powered Zhuque-2 rocket". SpaceNews. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Barbosa, Rui C. (27 October 2018). "Chinese commercial provider LandSpace launches Weilai-1 on a Zhuque-1 rockets – fails to make orbit". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Jones, Andrew (27 October 2018). "Landspace fails to reach orbit with milestone private Chinese launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  11. ↑ Zhao, Lei (12 July 2023). "China launches first globally successful orbital mission for methane-fueled rocket". China Daily. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  12. 1 2 "ZhuQue-1 (ZQ-1, LandSpace-1, LS-1)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  13. ↑ Clark, Stephen (28 October 2018). "LandSpace falls short of orbit in private Chinese launch attempt". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 Beil, Adrian (11 July 2023). "LandSpace claims win in the methane race to orbit via second ZhuQue-2 launch". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  15. ↑ "Landspace - ZQ-2 / Suzaku No. 2". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  16. ↑ Jones, Andrew (10 December 2019). "Chinese space launch firm Landspace raises $71 million". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  17. ↑ Fernholz, Tim (27 September 2016). "The SpaceX of China aims to commercialize a mysterious rocket on the world stage". Quartz. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  18. ↑ Messier, Doug (20 December 2017). "EXPACE Raises $182 Million for Small Satellite Launchers". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
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