China to Start Using SpaceX-style Space Shuttle Rockets Next Year
Morrissey Technology – China plans to use a space shuttle rocket starting next year for its space mission and to send humans to the Moon. The upcoming space mission is part of the latest Moon missions introduced by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the main contractor for China’s space program.
This mission is said to be key to China’s goal of sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030. Unlike the rockets that China has used before, the two rockets that will be used in 2025 and 2026 are fully reusable. This means these rockets are not only more sustainable but also more cost-effective, as they do not need to be built from scratch for future missions. This kind of rocket technology has been adopted by the space company SpaceX, one of which is the Falcon 9 rocket.
“Falcon 9 is the world’s first reusable orbital class rocket. Reuse allows SpaceX to reuse the most expensive parts of the rocket, which in turn will lower the cost of access to space,” wrote SpaceX on its official website.
Meanwhile, China’s newest rockets are a 4 meter diameter rocket and a 5 meter diameter rocket. According to Space News, the larger rocket may be a variant of the planned Long March 10, a 92 meter long launch vehicle that has the capacity to send 27 tonnes into translunar orbit.
The Long March 10 rocket itself will be responsible for sending the crew of the Mengzhou spacecraft to the Moon in 2030. A test launch of the Long March 10 could take the crew capsule into Earth orbit as early as 2025, according to the space shuttle rocket’s recently announced schedule.
Meanwhile, details about the second space shuttle which will launch in 2026 have not been announced. Furthermore, several Chinese companies are currently also developing reusable rockets. In the future, space vehicles from CASC will greatly increase China’s options for launches and access to space, while competing with various commercial rocket companies in the country.
Ahead of next year’s launch, CASC is said to have successfully completed vertical takeoff and landing trials and achieved a major technological breakthrough in reusable rockets in 2023, citing Live Science. Representatives from CASC FOR4D said that the overall progress of the rocket project was very smooth.