China launches first globally successful orbital mission for methane-fueled rocket
By Zhao Lei |
chinadaily.com.cn |
Updated: 2023-07-12 09:41
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According to LandSpace, the 49.5-meter ZQ 2 has a diameter of 3.35 meters — the same as those of most of China's Long March-series rockets, a liftoff weight of 219 metric tons and a launch thrust of 268 tons.
The vehicle is capable of placing a 4-ton satellite into a typical sun-synchronous orbit about 500 kilometers above the Earth, or a 6-ton satellite to a low-Earth orbit with an altitude of 200 km.
The rocket's main propulsion system — TQ-12 — is the first methane engine in China. Before LandSpace, only a handful of US companies had developed such engine.
