China's Long March-8A carrier rocket has adopted a broader final stage to enhance its carrying capacity, according to its chief designer.
The carrier rocket successfully conducted its maiden flight on Tuesday, sending a group of low Earth orbit satellites into space from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in the southern Hainan Province.
The satellite group is the second of its kind and will form an internet constellation. It was launched at 17:30 Beijing Time, and then entered its preset orbit successfully. The launch was the 559th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.
As the Long March-8A is designed mainly to meet commercial space launch needs, which require a high carrying capacity at a lower cost, the designers have focused on optimizing the design of the second stage.
The core second stage of the rocket features a newly developed universal hydrogen-oxygen final stage with a 3.35-meter diameter, compared with a 3-meter diameter of the previous final stages in the Long March-8A carrier rocket series.
This broader final stage can provide more room for satellites. As a result, the rocket can support a wider variety and larger volume of satellites, significantly enhancing its mission adaptability.
"For the final stage of the Long March-8A carrier rocket, we have newly developed a universal hydrogen-oxygen final stage with a diameter of 3.35 meters. We have also enhanced the thrust of each engine. These improvements have allowed us to boost the rocket's carrying capacity by two tons in the 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbits," said Song Zhengyu, chief designer of the Long March-8A at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.
Long March-8A rocket adopts broader final stage to enhance carrying capacity: chief designer
