One other busy week of rocket launches in China has come to a detailed. On Wednesday, the Yaogan 36 mission launched on a Chang Zheng 2D from Xichang, and on Friday, the launch of Shiyan 21 atop a Chang Zheng 11 rocket was performed from the identical spaceport.
In whole, 4 launches had been performed from China this week. This contains the failed ZhuQue-2 methane rocket demo flight on Wednesday, and the launch of a Chang Zheng 4C out of Jiuquan on Monday, carrying the Shiyan 20A&B payload.
Yaogan 36 Group 4
Liftoff of the Yaogan 36 Group 4 mission occurred on Wednesday at 18:25 UTC from LC-3 on the Xichang Satellite tv for pc Launch Heart (XSLC). The payloads went to a 490 x 502 km orbit with an inclination of 35° and an orbital interval of 94.5 minutes. Moreover minor info on the distant sensing capabilities of the payload, no official info on the payload was given within the assertion that the launch was profitable.
CZ-2D liftoff from Xichang. (Credit score: CASC)
Yaogan Weixing payloads are categorised army satellites that present distant sensing and catastrophe safety capabilities to China. They’re generally known as simply “Yaogan,” and are corresponding to categorised authorities satellites launched by the USA and Russia.
The Yaogan 35 & 36 satellites are particular, as they’re usually triplets of payloads which might be launched collectively. The aim of those satellites just isn’t recognized. The suspected utilization of Yaogan contains a variety of spy, nationwide safety, and surveillance functions.
Whereas no official assertion has been given, the Yaogan mission patches from latest launches are forming a collage picture of a sailboat. This may point out some relation to ocean statement capabilities on the satellites.
For this mission, the Chang Zheng 2D (CZ-2D) rocket was used. The CZ-2D has been China’s workhorse rocket this yr, with 15 launches beneath its belt in 2022. This makes it the second most flown rocket of the yr, behind SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which has flown 56 instances in 2022 to date. All 15 CZ-2D flights this yr have been profitable.
The CZ-2D was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Know-how (SAST). The rocket options two phases and is principally used to loft payloads into low Earth orbit (LEO) and Solar-synchronous orbit (SSO).
The CZ-2D is actually a two-stage model of the larger Chang Zheng 4 rocket and has solely skilled one partial failure in its profession with the launch of the SuperView-1 mission in December 2016. Since then, it has launched efficiently 41 instances, bringing its whole launch depend to 73 launches.
I am unsure if that is the proper strategy to make the collage of Yaogan-35 & 36 mission patches. At lease, it appears two extra Yaogan-36 launches are wanted to make a hexagon, along with the underside 4.
(And, the present collage seems like a sailboat⛵️) https://t.co/lglUflOuv3 pic.twitter.com/NViIVZ42w3— China ‘N Asia Spaceflight 🚀🛰️🙏 (@CNSpaceflight) December 14, 2022
Trendy Chinese language rockets, such because the Chang Zheng 6A, might exchange the CZ-2D sooner or later, with China planning to section out its older technology of launch automobiles, together with the Chang Zheng 2/3/4. Business rockets, such because the just lately examined ZhuQue-2, might additionally help with the phasing out of those older automobiles.
Shiyan-21
Shiyan-21 was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Know-how Company (CASC) and is an check satellite tv for pc of unknown goal, with unclear particulars relating to its mission.
The title Shiyan means “experiment” and is used as a label for expertise demonstration missions developed by China. 3D printing expertise is being examined on this mission, with the satellite tv for pc utilizing a body construction that was utterly printed, shortening the supply time of the satellite tv for pc by 40%. It’s unclear if this check of 3D printed expertise is the first goal of the mission.
One other view of the “pop”: pic.twitter.com/F7yRAXUanD
— Cosmic Penguin (@Cosmic_Penguin) December 16, 2022
As a automobile for this launch, the Chang Zheng 11 rocket was used. The CZ-11 is a four-stage solid-propellant automobile, which might be tube-launched from a cellular launcher. The rocket may also be launched from sea barges in a configuration generally known as the Chang Zheng 11H.
It’s the first and solely solid-based rocket developed by China and was designed by the China Academy of Launch Automobile Know-how (CALT). Its objective is to supply a less expensive and sooner approach of launching payloads to area. On condition that the rocket solely makes use of stable propellant, it may be saved simply and deployed when wanted.
CZ-11 within the launch tube. (Credit score: CASC)
At liftoff, the CZ-11 generates 1,176 kN of thrust. Standing 20.8 meters tall with a diameter of two.0 meters, the rocket can launch with a fairing that’s both 1.6 meters or 2.0 meters in diameter. For this launch, the bigger 2.0-meter fairing was used. Among the preview photos for this launch, revealed by CASC, present a unique fairing diameter, which makes it seemingly that these are photos from a earlier launch.
Each Yaogan 36 Group 4 and Shiyan-21 launched out of the Xichang Satellite tv for pc Launch Heart (XSLC) in China. Situated about 60 kilometers away from town of Xichang, the positioning has been the positioning of many Chinese language rocket launches since 1984. It’s a spaceport that has confronted harsh criticism prior to now because of its inland location and shut proximity to populated areas, which has sadly led to some expended rocket phases impacting close by villages, injuring and killing residents.
With the launch of those two missions, a complete of 62 launches have been performed out of China this yr. There’s at the very least yet another mission deliberate for the yr, with the Beidou-3 mission presumably launching on Dec. 30.
(Lead picture: a CZ-11 rocket lifts off from Xichang. Credit score: CASC)
