China to introduce advanced Long March and commercial rockets in 2025
Science & tech: China's space sector is preparing for significant advancements by focusing on the development of reusable rockets to enhance launch efficiency.
China is set to debut new rockets with advanced capabilities in 2025, including new variants of its Long March series and commercial launch vehicles. These new projects aim to support China’s growing space ambitions that include space station cargo missions, mega-constellation satellite projects and commercial contracts.
New Long March Rockets
The Long March 8A is expected to launch on January 19. It has been developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).
It features a more powerful second-stage rocket and a larger payload, increasing its capacity to a 700-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) from 5,000 to 7,000 kgs.
The Long March 12A, a reusable variant of the expendable Long March 12, is also under development. It may incorporate methane-liquid oxygen engines and is scheduled for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTVL) test in January 2025.
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Commercial Rockets
Several Chinese private companies are preparing new rockets to compete in the space sector. They include:
- Zhuque-3: Landspace plans the first orbital launch of this rocket, with payload capacities ranging from 12,500 to 21,000 kilograms depending on recovery options.
- Tianlong-3: Space Pioneer aims to launch this rocket, benchmarked against SpaceX’s Falcon 9, following an earlier testing mishap.
- Pallas-1 and Ceres-2: Galactic Energy is developing these rockets, designed for reusability and increased payload capacities.
- Nebula-1: Deep Blue Aerospace plans to launch and recover this two-stage rocket with 3D-printed engines.
- Kinetica-2: CAS Space is preparing this reusable kerosene-liquid oxygen rocket to support low-cost space station cargo services.
- Hyperbola-3: iSpace is transitioning to kerolox rocket after setbacks with its Hyperbola-1.
Implications
These new rocket projects aim to enhance China’s presence in space, increase launch rates, and lower costs.
While the Chinese domestic space market is competitive, these developments are expected to support national space projects and potentially attract international payloads leading to higher revenue from the space sector.
(With inputs from agencies)