Chinese private space firm Space Pioneer became the first startup to successfully reach orbit on its first attempt this past weekend, a report from SpaceNews reveals. Find out more at 🚀 engineering interestingengineering
Chinese private space firm Space Pioneer became the first startup to successfully reach orbit on its first attempt this past weekend, a report from SpaceNews reveals.
It also became the first Chinese company to reach orbit using liquid rocket propulsion. The company's rocket, Tianlong-2, lifted off from the Jiuquan launch facility in northwest China at 4:48 am. ET on Sunday, April 2.Beijing-based Space Pioneer's Tianlong-2 rocket lifted a small satellite to a Sun-synchronous orbit. The company, officially called Beijing Tianbing Technology Co., became the first Chinese firm to fly a rocket using liquid propellant.
Tianlong-2 uses liquid oxygen kerosene, whereas China's space administration typically uses solid propellants made from fuel and oxidizers. Liquid propellants are better suited to reusability, one of Space Pioneer's ultimate goals.The three-stage Tianlong-2 has a payload capacity of 2,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit or 1,500 kg to a 500-kilometer-altitude sun-synchronous orbit .
The Ai Taikong Kexue satellite launched by Tianlong-2 was developed by Hunan Hangsheng Satellite Technology Co., Ltd, and it will test remote sensing capabilities in orbit.To put Space Pioneer's achievement into perspective, it took SpaceX and Elon Musk four attempts . Musk has since gone on record stating that SpaceX would have gone bankrupt had the fourth launch attempt failed.of reaching orbit on its first attempt., though it failed to reach orbit with its liquid-propellant 3D-printed rocket, Terran 1. An engine failure prevented Terran 1 from inserting itself into orbit, meaning Space Pioneer achieved the milestone of being the first startup to reach orbit on its first attempt last weekend.
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