News Broadcast Observation丨Rocket recovery! "Big Heart" is expected to be "made in Sichuan"
2024-08-11
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We are all familiar with plastic recycling and home appliance recycling, but can you believe that rockets can also be recycled? As the saying goes, the experts are among the people, and my country's private commercial aerospace enterprise, Interstellar Glory, is doing such exploration. On August 10, the "Sichuan News Network" focused on the news that Interstellar Glory was deploying in Sichuan to accelerate the construction of a rocket engine test bench.
When we watch rocket launches, we often hear the commander say, "The first and second stages are separated." The first stage is the part closest to the ground. It is equipped with 9 engines and is full of fuel, accounting for more than 70% of the weight of the entire rocket. It is the first stage that needs to be recovered.
After launching a traditional rocket, the first stage often falls into the sea or uninhabited land. A rocket engine costs about 10 million yuan. Although it is expensive, it can only be left alone. But what if it can be recycled? Last year, Interstellar Glory successfully completed the experiment of vertical take-off and landing of the first stage rocket, precise landing and re-launch, taking a key step in the development of reusable rockets.
You know, a rocket needs a strong thrust to fly high, and a smooth landing also needs reverse thrust, all of which rely on its "big heart", that is, the rocket engine to provide power. At present, Interstellar Glory is "holding back a big move" to develop a 100-ton liquid oxygen-methane rocket engine to equip reusable rockets with a strong "heart". The 9 engines can generate about 700 tons of thrust, which can meet the needs of rocket launch and recovery landing.
At present, they are building a rocket engine test bench in Mianyang, which is expected to be completed and put into use in the third quarter of this year. Next, they will also move the rocket engine production line here, so that the "Big Heart" will hopefully be "Made in Sichuan"!
Finally, let's answer a question that everyone is most concerned about: If rockets are recycled, can the "freight" of satellites, probes and spacecraft taking space "taxi" be cheaper? Industry insiders told us that now, the freight of medium-sized rockets is about 70,000 to 80,000 yuan per kilogram, and if reusable rockets can be launched 10 times, its freight is expected to drop to less than 20,000 yuan per kilogram. Imagine that in the future, rocket flights and space tourism can also be "arranged"!
Click to see more:Sichuan News Network｜Anchored in modernization reform and further deepening——Sichuan: Comprehensively deepen the reform of the science and technology system to stimulate innovation vitality
