China develops new rocket for manned moon mission: media

[TaiShang]

New rocket on drawing board

China is conducting preliminary research on a super-heavy launch vehicle that will be used in its manned missions to the moon.

"We are discussing the technological feasibility and requirements of the Long March-9, and research on the solutions to some technical difficulties have started," said Li Tongyu, head of aerospace products at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. "Its specifications will mostly be determined by a host of factors, including the government's space plan and the nation's overall industrial capability, as well as its engine's development."

The Long March-9's diameter and height will be much larger than those of the Long March-5, and its thrust will also be much stronger, he said.

"Our current launch vehicles, including the Long March-5, which is set to conduct its first launch soon, will be able to undertake the country's space activities planned for the coming 10 years, but for the nation's long-term space programs, their capabilities will not be enough," he added, emphasizing the necessity and significance of a super-heavy rocket.

"In addition, the cryogenic engine using liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer (designed for the Long March-5) is not powerful enough for the Long March-9, so we need to develop a brand new engine for it to make sure the rocket has sufficient thrust."

Li's academy belongs to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, one of the major undertakers of China's space activities. It is also the leading space launch vehicle developer in China, producing all of the nation's strategic missiles and the Long March rocket family.

Li Jinghong, deputy chief designer of the Long March-3A at the academy, said estimates show the Long March-5 will have to use four launches to fulfill a manned mission to the moon while the Long March-9 will need only one.

The senior engineer noted that manned lunar missions will not be the sole use of the Long March-9, hinting that other deep-space exploration projects will also need the super-heavy vehicle.

"The diameter of the Long March-9 should be 8 to 10 meters, and its weight at launch should be at least 3,000 metric tons," he said.

According to an earlier report by China News Service, Liang Xiaohong, deputy head of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, disclosed that the Long March-9 is planned to have a maximum payload of 130 tons and its first launch will take place around 2028.

Liang urged the government to include the Long March-9's development in its space agenda as soon as possible so that China's rocket technologies will not lag behind those of other space powers.

Once the Long March-9 is developed and put into service, China will be able to go deeper into space, as it has begun to draw an ambitious blueprint for exploration beyond the moon.

The China National Space Administration has started preliminary research for the Mars exploration program and is persuading the government to include the project into the country's space agenda, according to Tian Yulong, secretary-general of the administration.

In November, China made public a prototype of its Mars rover at an air show in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

Peng Tao, a space expert at the China Academy of Space Technology, the nation's leading developer of spacecraft, said at the exhibition that the country plans to conduct a Mars mission around 2020, which will include orbiting, landing and roaming operations by an unmanned probe.

 

[BoQ77]

Wish Long-March 9 could fulfill the expectation !!! Good luck !!!
We expect to see your progress in space exploration, China ..

 

[yusheng]

The ‘long march five "height 59.5 meters, takeoff weight of 643 tons, 833.8 tons of takeoff thrust. Compared with the existing carrier rocket, the new generation of carrier rockets near earth orbit carrying capacity from 10 tons now increased to 25 tons, a geosynchronous transfer orbit carrying capacity can be expanded from 5.5 tonnes to 14 tons.

Delta 4 geostationary earth orbit (GTO) (elliptical orbit between low earth orbit and geostationary orbit): 13130 kg (28950 pounds),Geostationary earth orbit (GEO) 6275 kg.The earth escape orbit: 9306 kg.

Delta -4 takeoff weight about 733000 kg, less than the shuttle (2040000 kg) less.

That is to say, the Long March 5 synchronous transfer orbit 14 tons more than the delta type 4 (US) 13.3 tons, 12 tons of Ariane- 5 improved (Europe), 9.5 tons of H2A (Japan).

Although the Long March 5 will be launched 2015, but payload is over delta 4 and the Ariane and H2A.

Another point to note, the Long March 5 takeoff weight although less than Delta, but large payload. In "China's efforts 中国力度" video said very clearly, the Long March 5 using YF100 engine specific thrust 10% larger than Europe and japan. At present China and Russia "high pressure staged combustion of kerosene / lox rocket" is the world's most advanced, which has the advanced "specific thrust" meaning that produce more 10% thrust as same received basis , in turn, my rockets can be a bit smaller.

 

[BoQ77]

View attachment 162084

The ‘long march five "height 59.5 meters, takeoff weight of 643 tons, 833.8 tons of takeoff thrust. Compared with the existing carrier rocket, the new generation of carrier rockets near earth orbit carrying capacity from 10 tons now increased to 25 tons, a geosynchronous transfer orbit carrying capacity can be expanded from 5.5 tonnes to 14 tons.

Delta 4 geostationary earth orbit (GTO) (elliptical orbit between low earth orbit and geostationary orbit): 13130 kg (28950 pounds),Geostationary earth orbit (GEO) 6275 kg.The earth escape orbit: 9306 kg.

Delta -4 takeoff weight about 733000 kg, less than the shuttle (2040000 kg) less.

That is to say, the Long March 5 synchronous transfer orbit 14 tons more than the delta type 4 (US) 13.3 tons, 12 tons of Ariane- 5 improved (Europe), 9.5 tons of H2A (Japan).

Although the Long March 5 will be launched 2015, but payload is over delta 4 and the Ariane and H2A.

Another point to note, the Long March 5 takeoff weight although less than Delta, but large payload. In "China's efforts 中国力度" video said very clearly, the Long March 5 using YF100 engine specific thrust 10% larger than Europe and japan. At present China and Russia "high pressure staged combustion of kerosene / lox rocket" is the world's most advanced, which has the advanced "specific thrust" meaning that produce more 10% thrust as same received basis , in turn, my rockets can be a bit smaller.

Impressive !!! from we, space exploration lovers.

 

[cirr]

The project is at least 3 years further into what the article would want you to know。

 

[BoQ77]

I want to share the recent successful test of Orion, Are you space lovers like us?

Orion for deep space exploration with crewmen
Very interesting and detailed clip, indeed !!!

------------------------------
(CNN) -- With one 4½-hour flight Friday, the new spacecraft series that NASA hopes will take astronauts to Mars passed its first test above Earth.

NASA's Orion capsule -- part of America's bid to take crews beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time since the Apollo missions -- splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday morning after lapping the planet twice on an uncrewed test flight.

The cone-shaped craft, slowed by a series of parachutes, settled onto the water at 8:29 a.m. PT (11:29 a.m. ET) about 600 miles southwest of San Diego.

"America has driven a golden spike as it crosses a bridge into the future," a NASA announcer said as the capsule bobbed on the ocean's surface during the agency's TV broadcast of the event.

The flight took Orion farther from Earth than any craft designed for human flight since the Apollo 17 mission to the moon in 1972 -- a confidence builder for a program that NASA hopes will take its first human crew into space in 2021.

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Photos: Orion -- NASA's next giant leap
"It appears that Orion and the Delta IV Heavy (rocket) were nearly flawless," program manager Mark Geyer told reporters.

Orion, a crew module designed to carry up to six astronauts, soared into the Florida sky at 7:05 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket. The assembly shed its boosters before the rocket's second stage lifted Orion into low-Earth orbit in minutes.

Two hours later, a milestone: The second stage lifted Orion higher for its second orbit, about 3,600 miles above Earth, or 15 times higher than the International Space Station.

"A human-rated system hasn't gone that far since 1972. ... That reminded us that here we are again, now, the United States leading exploration out into the solar system," Geyer said.

After the splashdown, crews from two Navy recovery ships were working to collect the craft.

It was a crucial test for the capsule: NASA wants to prove flight and re-entry abilities before it carries astronauts.
[/QUOTE]
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China Has Big Plans to Explore the Moon and Mars
by Leonard David, Space.com's Space Insider Columnist | December 03, 2014 05:17am ET

An artistic look at the Chang'e 5 robotic lunar sample return craft that is slated to fly in 2017.
Credit: China Space Website

China continues to ramp up its space activities, which include a new launch complex, more powerful boosters and the construction of a large space station, as well as plans for complex robotic missions to the moon and Mars.

For example, China's "little fly" spacecraft looped around the moon and returned to Earth Nov. 1 (Beijing time) after eight days of flight, parachuting safely down in northern China's Inner Mongolia.

The capsule used seven kinds of thermal protection materials, returning data that will be applied to China's Chang'e 5 robotic lunar sample return mission, which is slated to launch in 2017 from the new Wenchang Satellite Launch Center.


In the human spaceflight arena, China's manned space agency is readying the Tiangong 2 space lab for liftoff around 2016, which will be followed by the crewed Shenzhou 11 spacecraft and a Tianzhou cargo vessel that will rendezvous with the lab.

Chinese officials expect that the core space station module will be launched around 2018, and the orbiting facility is slated to be completed by about 2022.

All of these plans form a comphrehensive space exploration agenda for the coming years.

China's new Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island is reportedly completed and will handle an array of Earth-orbiting and deep-space missions.
Credit: CMSE

Incremental steps

The Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG), an assembly of experts convened by NASA to assist in planning the scientific exploration of the moon, is eyeing China's growing lunar exploration capacity.

"China has had a well developed, focused plan, and they are using incremental steps to lunar exploration," said Jeffrey Plescia, chairman of LEAG. "Each mission has achieved the primary goal — orbiters, landing, rovers — leading up to sample return and then on to humans."

The objective of the recent test of the lunar sample return capsule was to demonstrate gear that can return from the moon and land safely.

"I would guess that, given the pieces they have tested, that they have a high probability of success on the sample return," Plescia told Space.com. "My personal guess, though, is that their lunar exploration, while trying to do some science, is more focused on the geopolitical theater. They are demonstrating that they have the technical capability of doing the most sophisticated deep-space activities. They have a program, and they can keep to the schedule and accomplish mission goals on time."

In comparison, Plescia said, "the United States has been floundering around for decades, trying to figure out what to do."

In the meantime, the U.S. has de-emphasized manned missions into space, instead focusing on a robotic science program that is "myopic at best," as it's narrowly focused on Mars, Plesica said. However, he added that the U.S.' Mars missions have provided a lot of surface detail and made a number of impressive discoveries.

"The real problem [in the U.S.] is the lack of direction and commitment," Plescia said. "I think, like others, that the moon is key to understanding how to live and work in space and explore the solar system."

Expanded access to space

China's space program has been extremely active recently, said Dean Cheng, a research fellow on Chinese political and security affairs at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Several Shijian and Yaogan satellites — two series of spacecraft that are believed to have military functions — have been launched in 2014. The "little fly" probe circumnavigated the moon, performing a vital precursor of any human lunar missions, he said. Also, the Chinese recently displayed a Mars rover at a popular air show, and there are reports that the country could dispatch a robotic Red Planet mission by the end of the decade.

In the interim, Chinese officials have discussed the possibility of even more powerful rockets than the still-under-development Long March 5 booster, Cheng said. In addition, the new Wenchang launch site on Hainan is apparently ready for a public unveiling, he said.

"This new facility will be China's southernmost launch site, with obvious benefits in terms of payload. It will also be China's first launch facility that is located on the coast," Cheng said. "Larger Chinese launch vehicles will now be possible, since they can be shipped to the new launch facility by sea, rather than [be] limited by Chinese railway tunnel widths and track curvature."

"When the Wenchang satellite launch center is officially opened, it will mark a further step in China's efforts to expand its access to space," with the ability to hurl heavier payloads into space, Cheng told Space.com. "These are expected to include a Chinese space station, lunar sample retrieval mission and a Mars rover."

A recent ceremony in China showcased the automated re-entry capsule that flew a circumlunar trajectory and returned to Earth under parachute. The capsule housed various items, including the Chinese flag.
Credit: CASC

Long-term commitment

China also established new space ties with 4M (the Manfred Memorial Moon Mission), the first private mission to the moon, suggesting an interesting link between China and private space entrepreneurs, Cheng said. There are also reports of cooperation between China and Russia, and one or more joint space ventures may be announced in 2015, he said.

"All of this is a reminder that China's space development efforts are likely to continue sustained interest under the new Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, as it did under his predecessors Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin and Deng Xiaoping," Cheng said.

"Despite reports of a slowing economy, at this point, there does not seem to be much evidence that the space development effort is suffering any budgetary cutbacks," he added.

Indeed, China's long-term commitment to space development is one of that nation's great strengths, Cheng said, "as it supports sustained development of program, rather than a 'feast or famine' approach."

China is readying the Tiangong 2 space lab for liftoff around 2016. Once in orbit, it would be followed by the piloted Shenzhou 11 spacecraft and a Tianzhou cargo vessel that will rendezvous with the lab.
Credit: CCTV

Investment in space

"China is continuing to pursue a number of goals it decided upon decades ago," said Gregory Kulacki, senior analyst and China project manager for the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), based in Cambridge, Mass.

Like Cheng, Kulacki believes the launch facility on the island of Hainan is a key new capability.

"It has been on the drawing board for quite a long time, and has experienced numerous delays, but is now prepared to serve as the home space port for China's new generation of wider-bodied launch vehicles that can carry larger payloads," Kulacki told Space.com. "These new vehicles have also experienced some delays, but China has no fixed deadlines to meet."

"As these major new pieces of China's space infrastructure come online, including new satellite manufacturing facilities in Tianjin, the pace and scale of its activities in space will continue to grow," Kulacki said. "China already has considerable space assets on orbit, and its investment in space will continue to increase significantly over the next several decades."

People who claim China is pursuing an asymmetric space warfare strategy misread the nation's intentions, Kulacki said. Rather, "the strategic objective of Chinese space policy is not to exploit asymmetry between China and the United States, but to end it," he said.

Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is former director of research for the National Commission on Space and is co-author of Buzz Aldrin's 2013 book "Mission to Mars – My Vision for Space Exploration," published by National Geographic, with a new updated paperback version to be released next year

 

[karan21]

Interesting times. Cz-5 can push almost 25 tonnes to space. This will be king of Asian rockets significantly higher than LMV 4 of India and japanese rockets.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

@BoQ77 - if you are interested in the Orion mission, and space flight in general, I would highly recommend you take a look here:

Congratulations NASA!!! Orion successfully tested!!!

Also, good to see China getting into the heavy-lift rocket game, the Long-March series has turned into a very nice system, though the timeline of the LM-9 puts it many years behind the SLS. Still, if China can join us on Mars, we would gladly welcome them.

 

[BoQ77]

@BoQ77 - if you are interested in the Orion mission, and space flight in general, I would highly recommend you take a look here:

Congratulations NASA!!! Orion successfully tested!!!

Also, good to see China getting into the heavy-lift rocket game, the Long-March series has turned into a very nice system, though the timeline of the LM-9 puts it many years behind the SLS. Still, if China can join us on Mars, we would gladly welcome them.

I know this while following the work of Mr. Bruce Vu - a Vietnam born scientist at NASA.
This is the greatest achievement since the Moon Landing manned mission.

 

[black-hawk_101]

Better for China and US to explore their own land for Minerals and in sea.

 

[Anders]

CZ-5 CZ-7

Mars Rover (2018 ~ 2020 launch)

Chang'e -4 Model（ 2016 launch）

Jade Rabbit -2

Chang'e -5 （ 2017 launch）

 

[he-man]

Usa>>>CHINA/FRANCE>JAPAN/RUSSIA>>>INDIA.

Rough ranking at the moment with china poised to take outright lead over esa/ariane/french systems.Russia is the biggest fall in last 10-15 years with virtually 0 progress.

 

[l'ingénieur]

now every nation's eyes are on Titan (saturn's moon)

 

[yusheng]

China has more manned and laboratory spacecraft planned for launch, having made key technology break-throughs. The more advanced Long March Five large-scale carrier rocket, and Long March Seven, are planned to take their maiden flight within 2 years.

From 2016, expected launches include the Tian Gong Two space laboratory, the Shen Zhou Eleven manned space ship, and the Tian Zhou cargo spacecraft. Meanwhile, the construction of a new launch center in south China’s Wen Chang in Hainan province is near completion. Its location nearer the equator will give future launches better thrust.

The nation has ambitions to build a fully-fledged space station by 2022.

 

[BoQ77]

Remember USA ever planned the Ares V with payload capacity 188,000 kg ( to LEO ) for Mars mission. But it cancelled.
China maybe suffer unexpected cancellation too.