At recent, the long march-5, 3 carrier rocket has made a successful return flight
Its total thrust exceeds one thousand tons
Geosynchronous transfer orbit and low earth orbit can carry 14 tons and 25 tons respectively
It is the third-largest rocket in the world
Second only to the U.S. Delta 4 and musk Falcon 9 heavy
The strategic dividend for China is huge
The fan-5 will undertake several major recent space missions in the future
While netizens cheered the success of the Long March 5 launch
Neighbouring India is worried. Recently, according to media reports
India has announced it will develop a new carrier rocket with better performance than the long March 5
The launch is planned for 2025
In addition to meeting their own space needs
The other main goal is to catch up with China
In the spirit of China I also a good idea
India has teamed up with the country’s research and development departments
This is not the first time in a space that India has been so eager to catch up with China
China’s Chang ‘e-4 lunar lander landed on the moon in early 2019
India immediately began work on a lunar probe
It made its first launch before the end of the year
At the critical moment, however, the lunar probe went missing
This has further stimulated India’s exploration of space
Increased India’s catch-up with China
But is it possible to catch up?
In June 2016, China’s long march-9 heavy carrier rocket was officially approved
The first flight is expected to be completed by 2028
I just don’t know when long March 9 made its first flight
Can India’s heavy rocket take off?
The core class of the Long March 9 has a maximum diameter of 10 meters
The total length is over 100 meters, equivalent to the height of a 30-story building
The takeoff mass exceeds 4000 tons and the takeoff thrust reaches 5,873 tons
It is the largest launch vehicle in the world
The long March 9 has a carrying capacity of 140 tons
The earth-moon transfer orbit has a carrying capacity of about 50 tons
The capacity is like that of the Saturn 5
Saturn v was a product of the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union
The rocket is 110 meters long and has a maximum diameter of 10 meters
The take-off weight is 3,038 tons and the take-off thrust is close to 3,500 tons
Low-earth orbit has a carrying capacity of 118 tons, and earth-moon orbit has a carrying capacity of 45 tons
From the size of the long March, 9 and Saturn v are not much different
The low earth orbit and the earth-moon orbit have much higher carrying capacities than the Saturn 5
This puts forward the rocket engine more demanding requirements
About the long March 9 heavy rocket engine
The researchers conducted several demonstrations
The final decision to use a 500-ton liquid oxygen kerosene engine
And a 200-ton liquid hydrogen-oxygen engine, the rocket USES a three-stage and a half program
Four of the boosters are powered by two 480-ton liquid oxygen and kerosene engines
The first stage USES four 500-ton liquid oxygen and kerosene engines
The second stage USES two 200-ton liquid oxygen and hydrogen engines
Two 50 t liquid oxygen and hydrogen engines are used in the third stage
The whole rocket USES a total of 11 engines
Eventually, the 10-meter-diameter long march-9 will be launched into space and complete various missions
Except for the engine, it is five fat compared to the diameter of five meters
The long March 9 will be more difficult and demanding to develop
When rockets get big enough, a lot of the construction gets complicated
Like the C919 to C929 variations on the domestic aircraft
The C929 is also being co-developed by Russia
But the long March 9 such a large strategic project can only rely on China to complete alone
For example, the constant scale test of a rocket
The long March 5 used to be made by hanging rockets
But the long March 9 is too big to hang
This is the first thing the space crew has to do
In addition, the Long March 9 will also be upgraded in other aspects of technology
To reduce the mass of the rocket
The long March 9 propellant storage tank will be made of a lightweight, high-strength aluminum-lithium alloy
In addition, the rocket electrical and control systems will use a fault diagnosis system
On this basis, the fault diagnosis and reconstruction of the rocket are further realized
Improve the success rate of the rocket’s first flight
India has made China a competitive target and has been catching up
China’s Long March 9 is not designed to catch up with India
At present, the United States and Russia are actively seizing the commanding heights in space
And restart heavy rocket development
Europe and Japan are also racing to promote large launch vehicle research and demonstration
China’s lunar probe is about to enter its second phase
Although the long March 5 has made its first successful flight
But more powerful rockets are needed to send people to the moon
The goal of the second phase of China’s manned lunar landing program is
In 2030, 4-6 people will stay on the moon for a long time and return safely
To meet the need for future moon bases and manned missions to Mars
Only the long March 9 can accomplish this task
Although China lags behind some western countries in space technology
But we have a lot of young people in space
The average age is around 30, an advantage no other country has
In the future, these researchers will lead China’s space industry to create new achievements