Tag: reusable rockets
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Successful Rocket Recovery Is Only the Beginning. Three Priorities Come Next
China has successfully recovered two orbital-class rocket boosters—one at sea and one on land—but recovery itself is only the starting point. Turning reusable rockets into a commercially viable capability will depend on three priorities: Rapidly returning recovered boosters to flight and developing a first stage optimized for frequent reuse; Continuously increasing the payload fraction to…
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Deep Blue Aerospace Completes First 100-Second Long-Duration Test of 130-Tonne-Class THUNDER-RS Engine
August 21 — Deep Blue Aerospace has successfully completed a 100-second, long-duration steady-state hot-fire test of its 130-tonne-class THUNDER-RS liquid oxygen/kerosene engine at the company’s liquid rocket engine and propulsion-system test facility. The engine operated steadily and without faults throughout the test, achieving all test objectives. The milestone marks a key engineering breakthrough for high-thrust…
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Zhuque-3 Y2 Successfully Recovered: China Achieves Its First Onshore Recovery of an Orbital-Class Rocket First Stage
At 7:35 a.m. Beijing Time on August 19, 2026, the Zhuque-3 Y2 launch vehicle, developed by LandSpace Technology Corporation Ltd. serving as the prime contractor, lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone. Approximately 137 seconds after liftoff, the first and second stages separated. The second stage continued its flight and successfully placed…
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SpaceX Reaches 100th Mission of 2026 as Starlink Launch Highlights a New Era of High-Frequency Spaceflight
SpaceX has completed its 100th mission of 2026, reaching the milestone on Aug. 19 with another Starlink deployment from California. The mission, Starlink Group 17-50, sent 24 Starlink broadband satellites toward low Earth orbit aboard a flight-proven Falcon 9, underscoring how rapidly SpaceX has transformed orbital launch from an occasional event into a high-frequency operational…
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Nayuta Space Establishes Lingang Base, with Xuanniao-R Set for Maiden Offshore Flight
On August 11, Nayuta Space officially announced that its reusable liquid rocket R&D center and final assembly and testing base will be established in the Lingang New Area of Shanghai. The move marks a key stage in the engineering verification and maiden-flight preparations for the company’s main vehicle, Xuanniao-R. China’s commercial reusable rocket companies have…
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Galactic Energy Begins Construction of Chizhou Production Base for 24 Reusable Liquid Rockets per Year
August 10, 2026 — Galactic Energy has officially begun construction of a major industrialization project in Chizhou, Anhui Province, designed to support the production of 24 reusable liquid launch vehicles annually. The second-phase project, located in the Wanjiang Jiangnan Emerging Industries Concentration Zone, represents another major step in Galactic Energy’s expansion in Chizhou and marks…
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China’s Rocket Launch Failures: A Historical Review of Major Mishaps, Root Causes and What They Reveal About Chinese Launch Reliability
China’s space program is often associated with a high launch tempo and a long record of successful missions. Yet the history of Chinese launch vehicles also includes a series of failures, partial failures and flight anomalies that have played an important role in shaping the country’s rocket technology. The latest example came on August 10,…
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The Key Forces Shaping the Space Economy: Who Is Really Growing—and Who Is Just Telling a Story?
If launch costs have fallen to a fraction of their level 20 years ago, why has the global space economy not grown at the same pace? Over the past decade, reusable rockets have reduced the cost of reaching orbit by an order of magnitude, while the number of satellites launched has increased severalfold. Yet the…
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Voyager Technologies to Acquire Astrobotic in Deal Valued at Up to $300 Million
Voyager Technologies has agreed to acquire lunar exploration company Astrobotic Technology in a transaction valued at up to approximately $300 million, as the space infrastructure company seeks to expand its role in supporting future lunar missions and long-term Moon operations. The deal, which is expected to close by early July 2026 pending regulatory approvals, will…
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How many rocket factories are there in China?
How many rocket factories are there in China? What is the production capacity? Can it meet existing satellite launch needs? Today let’s talk: How many rocket factories are there in China? 30 rocket factories According to statistics, China currently has 30 commercial aerospace assembly and test rocket factories, of which 14 have been put into…