(From Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center)
At 9:00 AM on July 12th, lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the Zhuque-2 Yao-2 liquid oxygen methane carrier rocket, independently developed by LandSpace, successfully reaching the designated orbit. It became the world’s first successfully launched liquid oxygen methane rocket in orbit, marking a significant technological advancement in the field of rocket propulsion and a major breakthrough in the application of new low-cost liquid propellants for Chinese launch vehicles.
Liquid oxygen methane engines have become the new favorite in the aerospace industry due to their outstanding performance, reliability, and environmental friendliness. These engines exhibit high efficiency and reliability, enabling high thrust and velocity. After the combustion of liquid oxygen methane propellant, only carbon dioxide and water are produced without carbon deposition, therefore the design of the ignition system for the liquid oxygen methane engines is simpler than others. Liquid methane is a highly volatile fuel, significantly reducing the logistical maintenance workload of liquid oxygen methane engines, and then facilitating engine recovery and reuse. Further more Methane is a widely available and inexpensive fuel. Therefore, the development of liquid oxygen methane engines is an essential way for world-wide commercial space enterprises to reduce launch costs.
(From Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center)
Commercial aerospace companies, such as Space-X, Blue Origin, and Relativity Space, are all developing engines that use liquid oxygen methane as fuel. Interstellar Glory(i-space) and other Chinese private aerospace companies are also developing rockets based on the liquid oxygen methane technology. The Land-space’s Zhuque-2 is the first liquid oxygen methane rocket successfully launched and orbited.
(From Interstellar Glory(i-space))
Globally, various liquid oxygen methane rockets are currently under development, accelerating the engine testing , or comprehensive rocket assembly and testing in progress. With the booming trend of reusable rockets and liquid oxygen methane engines, and then the subsequent flight validation of various liquid oxygen methane rockets progress, liquid oxygen methane rockets will undertake commercial launch missions as other launch vehicles, and will becoming an important way for commercial space launches.