China’s sea-based rocket launches advance as Haiyang constructs complete commercial chain

HAIYANG, Shandong, Sept. 19 (Xinhua)– For Song Wenfeng, deputy chief designer of the structural system for China’s Gravity-1 rocket, the most distressed minute came before liftoff, not throughout it.

“The ship was rocking noticeably. We were very nervous during the high-altitude operation,” Tune stated, remembering the work to get rid of the rocket’s protective cover at sea on Sept. 15. He and his associates fretted about whether the launch might continue efficiently the next day.

At 6 a.m. (Beijing Time), the Gravity-1 Y3 rocket took off from a sea launch vessel in the East China Sea, putting 9 satellites into orbit and setting a brand-new nationwide record for payload weight and orbital elevation from a sea-based launch.

The 9 satellites– 8 Qianfan constellation satellites and one ultra-high-speed cordless interactions test satellite– were sent out into orbit at about 800 km, with a net payload of more than 3 tonnes.

The launch followed a thoroughly kept an eye on journey that started on Sept. 10, when the rocket left a vertical assembly structure at the Haiyang Oriental Spaceport in east China’s Shandong Province on a self-propelled modular transporter. The 400-meter journey to the dock took about an hour.

“I counted the wheels — 160 of them,” stated Zhang Tao, deputy chief designer of Gravity-1. “The main purpose is to keep the transport stable and avoid unnecessary disturbance.”

As soon as at sea, the difficulties vary greatly from those at a land-based launch website. “The marine environment is complex and changeable. From boarding the ship to launch, we kept monitoring data,” Tune stated, keeping in mind that heats, humidity and salt spray can impact satellite and rocket elements.

There are factors to continue with sea launches regardless of the problems.

Sea introduces deal higher versatility, much better objective flexibility and greater security than land-based launches, stated Teng Yao, primary engineer of the Oriental Maritime Spaceport (Shandong) Development Group. They need less previous coordination of airspace and shipping paths, permit launches at numerous dispositions and guarantee rocket particles falls under uninhabited waters, he stated.

China has actually finished 28 sea-based rocket launches because its very first in June 2019, sending out 175 satellites into orbit with a 100 percent success rate. Current launches from waters off the Yangtze River Delta have actually assisted form a preliminary “Shandong-Shanghai-Guangdong” sea launch design.

Haiyang now has a total commercial chain from last assembly to rollout and launch vessel combination, stated Teng. The Haiyang Oriental Spaceport hosts the nation’s biggest solid-rocket last assembly and screening center, with a yearly capability to put together and evaluate 50 rockets and 50 propellant tanks. It has actually likewise drawn in 30 aerospace tasks, with overall financial investment surpassing 32 billion yuan (about 4.8 billion U.S. dollars).

The spaceport has actually moved from service supplier to basic setter, stated Teng. 3 nationwide requirements for sea-based rocket launches, led by the spaceport, were just recently authorized and will work in November 2026. They cover basic ecological requirements, core metadata requirements for facilities, and technical requirements for facilities platform choice.

The spaceport’s commercial capability underpins the industrial reasoning behind rockets like Gravity-1.

“The core of commercial rocket launches is to send as many satellites into space as possible in the most reliable and economical way,” stated Xu Guoguang, the rocket’s chief designer and leader.

Gravity-1’s style shows that business reasoning. The rocket’s squat, stubby shape and 4 strap-on boosters lower its centre of gravity and enhance stability at sea while improving payload capability, Zhang stated.

Xu stated China has actually collected adequate technical reserves for multiple-use rockets, however the primary difficulties depend on engineering and management instead of research study. Reusability needs to likewise be pursued with expense performance in mind, he included.

That expense reasoning likewise indicates integrating sea launch with sea healing. It would make the most of payload capability without additional fuel for trajectory changes, and if launch and healing locations are surrounding, the logistics and time expenses of repair and re-flight might be greatly lowered. ■