China develops rocket for 1st manned mission

[Still Waters]

China is developing a huge rocket that will be used for its first manned mission to the moon, state media said Monday, underscoring Beijing's increasingly ambitious space programme.

The first launch of the Long March-9 will take place around 2028, said the China Daily, which also cited experts saying the rocket's development is at the research stage.

http://www.telegraph...on-mission.html

[bubblykiss]

Did they really name it the Long-March?

Is the old guard that desperate to evoke old glories?

[SHaYap]

The Long March has taken mythical if not Biblical status in the minds of Modern China ~ Reforms or no reforms ~

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Is the old guard that desperate to evoke old glories?

The Long March name stretches back to 1970, when Chairman Mao still ran China. After 44 years I don't suppose they see any need to change it.

[Czero 101]

The Long March name stretches back to 1970, when Chairman Mao still ran China. After 44 years I don't suppose they see any need to change it.

And it's not uncommon for missile / launch systems to keep the same name through many iterations / variants. The Atlas family has been around since 1957 and is still in service. The Titan family was introduced in 1958 and was in service until 2005. The Delta family was introduced in 1960 and still fly today.

Cz

[Peter B]

From the article linked in the OP:

The vehicle's diameter "should be eight to 10 metres", and its weight "at least 3,000 metric tonnes", he said.

Along with a payload to Low Earth Orbit of 130 tons, that makes it sound very similar to the Saturn V: diameter 10 metres, 2970 tons mass, 118 tons to LEO.

[Czero 101]

There's some info at AmericaSpace, including this graphic showing size comparisons with China's current fleet:

And this graphic (unfortunately in Chinese) detailing the two configurations currently being studied:

The two options for China’s “Super Saturn V” rocket are the favored “Option A” oxygen/kerosene version at left and less favored

oxygen/hydrogen “Option B” with solid rocket boosters on the right. Image Credit: CALT

From the article:

The new Long March 9 details were revealed by Liang Xiaohong, the Communist Party Chief at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), China’s largest rocket contractor. Vick at Global Security did an extensive review of Liang’s revelations.

Liang outlined several new Long March versions, virtually all of them testing elements that would eventually find their way into the Long March 9 that has 4 million lb. more of liftoff thrust than the 7.5 million lb. thrust NASA Saturn V. Forty-three years ago this week a Saturn V propelled the Apollo 11 astronauts to the first manned landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

The Long March 5 appears positioned in the development flow to function like the U. S. Saturn 1B rockets did in relation to the Saturn V in Apollo. That role was to use a powerful, but smaller launch vehicle to launch key elements of the program like the Apollo Command/Service modules and Lunar Modules for test in Earth orbit.

There is one major difference with the Long March 5 however. It is powerful enough to launch a Shenzhou manned spacecraft on a lunar orbit flight, a mission the Saturn 1Bs could not duplicate.

For the massive Long March 9, the Chinese have both an “Option A” oxygen/kerosene powered launcher and an “Option B oxygen/hydrogen rocket. The detailed specifications for both rocket concepts are at the bottom of this article.

Option A appears to be the preferred of the two options because its first stage uses liquid propellant strap on boosters, compared with ”Option B” that combines an oxygen/hydrogen core with solid rocket boosters, an area where China lacks experience.

The Option A concept would stand 321 ft. tall and have a design payload to low Earth orbit of 130 metric tons (286,601 lb.) exactly the same as the largest of two SLS versions.

As part of an oxygen/kerosene Long March 9 project, China has already started development of a large new oxygen/kerosene rocket engine called the YF-650 that stems directly from the Long March 5 in advanced production.

“The YF-100, oxygen/kerosene engine with 120 metric tons of thrust for the new Long March-5 debuting in 2014 forms the technical basis for 330 metric tons thrust YF-330 single thrust chamber engine,” said Vick.

“It in turn is being combined with a second identical thrust chamber engine to create the YF-650 engine with 650 metric tons thrust,” he said.

Cz