Chinese firm launches world’s most powerful solid-fuel rocket in coup for private aerospace sector
- OrienSpace launches mammoth solid-fuel rocket from a ship off Haiyang in Shandong province
- Chinese aerospace media reports Gravity-1 launch is ‘a significant advancement in the independent innovation of China’s commercial carrier rockets’
A private aerospace enterprise in China launched the world’s most powerful solid-fuel rocket from a ship near the coast of Haiyang in Shandong province on Thursday, sending three weather satellites into orbit.
While China’s private aerospace sector has been growing rapidly, most of its commercial rockets carry relatively light loads.
However, the Gravity-1 rocket developed by OrienSpace has a thrust of 600 tonnes and can lift 6.5 tonnes of cargo into near Earth orbit. The rocket’s cargo compartment – 4.2 metres in diameter and 9 metres tall (13.7 by 30 feet) – is spacious enough to accommodate cargo for China’s space station if necessary.
It is nearly twice as heavy as the European Space Agency’s Vega-C, the previous record holder.
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In its market of batch networking launches of low and medium-orbit satellites, the Gravity-1 rocket can support the launch of up to 30 satellites weighing 100kg (220lbs) each, according to the official Aerospace China newspaper.