Beijing-based One Space, one of the commercial aerospace start-ups in China, will launch a new rocket series in June.
At the company’s office, over 100 engineers were busy on their laptops, sketching 3D animations of what the rocket would look like.
The 50-ton OS-X rocket is designed for suborbital flights in order to provide high-altitude research and test services.
The successful launch of the SpaceX Falcon rocket has inspired many start-ups in China, with at least seven private companies venturing into the space race, despite the restrictions in the commercialization of the space flight program.
Chief Executive Officer of One Space, 32-year-old Shu Chang, believes its only a matter of time before China’s commercial aerospace industry grows.
“We have good heritage in space technology. We also have very good engineers in China," said Shu. "I believe there will be some famous space companies like SpaceX in China."
But commercial aerospace in China is facing a much less investment than in some developed countries.
One Space has so far only received 500 million yuan – about 80 million US dollars – in funding. Shu says it’s only the first step to greater things and will hopefully widen the African market.
“Every step is a new step in China's commercial space industry, [and] the most important is that we can improve the atmosphere and supply chain here," said Shu.
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Thursday successfully test-launched a new heavy-lift rocket from its Far Eastern space complex, a lift-off that comes after two aborted attempts earlier this week.
The first attempt to launch the Angara-A5 rocket from the Vostochny spaceport on Tuesday was canceled about two minutes before the scheduled liftoff due to a failure of the pressurization system of the oxidizer tank in the central block of the rocket.
The second attempted launch Wednesday was also aborted by the automatic safety system, which registered a flaw in the engine start control mechanism, said Yuri Borisov, head of Russia’s state-controlled space corporation Roscosmos. He added that the failure was most likely rooted in a programming error.
Thursday's launch is the fourth for the Angara-A5, a heavy-lift version of the new Angara family of rockets that has been developed to replace the Soviet-designed Proton rockets.
The previous three launches were carried out from the Plesetsk launchpad in northwestern Russia.
After the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia leased the Baikonur Cosmodrome from Kazakhstan and continued to use it for most of its space launches. The agreement with Kazakhstan allows Russia to keep leasing Baikonur for $115 million a year through 2050.
While Roscosmos has continued to rely on Baikonur, Russian authorities have developed Vostochny as the facility of choice for Angara launches. The construction of the new spaceport has dragged on for longer than planned and it has seen only limited use so far.
The development of the Angara-A-5, which is set to be the main launch vehicle for Russia’s prospective lunar research program, has also faced repeated delays and dragged on years behind schedule.
Like the Soviet-designed Proton it’s set to replace, the new rocket is intended to launch intelligence and communication satellites to geostationary orbits.
In this grab taken from video released by Roscosmos space corporation on Thursday, April 11, 2024 an Angara-A5 rocket lifts off from Vostochny space launch facility outside the city of Tsiolkovsky, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the city of Blagoveshchensk in the far eastern Amur region, Russia. Russia on Thursday successfully test-launched a new heavy-lift rocket from its Far Eastern space complex, a lift-off that comes after two aborted attempts earlier in the week. (Roscosmos Space Corporation via AP)
In this grab taken from video released by the Roscosmos space corporation on Thursday, April 11, 2024 an Angara-A5 rocket lifts off from Vostochny space launch facility outside the city of Tsiolkovsky, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the city of Blagoveshchensk in the far eastern Amur region, Russia. Russia on Thursday successfully test-launched a new heavy-lift rocket from its Far Eastern space complex, a lift-off that comes after two aborted attempts earlier this week. (Roscosmos Space Corporation via AP)
In this grab taken from video released by Roscosmos space corporation on Thursday, April 11, 2024 an Angara-A5 rocket lifts off from Vostochny space launch facility outside the city of Tsiolkovsky, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the city of Blagoveshchensk in the far eastern Amur region, Russia. Russia on Thursday successfully test-launched a new heavy-lift rocket from its Far Eastern space complex, a lift-off that comes after two aborted attempts earlier in themweek. (Roscosmos Space Corporation via AP)
