Aiming for LEO … This would be the first flight of Innospace's HANBIT-Nano launch car, standing roughly 72 ft (22 meters) tall with a diameter of 4.6 ft (1.4 meters). The 2-stage rocket is powered by hybrid propulsion, consuming a combination of paraffin and liquid oxygen. For its debut flight, the rocket will goal an orbit about 300 kilometers (186 miles) excessive with a batch of small satellites from prospects in South Korea, Brazil, and India. In accordance with Innospace, HANBIT-Nano can carry about 200 kilos (90 kilograms) of payload into orbit.
A brand new document for rocket reuse. SpaceX's launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida on October 19 set a brand new document for reusable rockets, Ars experiences. It marked the thirty first launch of the corporate's most-flown Falcon 9 booster. The rocket landed on SpaceX's restoration ship within the Atlantic Ocean to be returned to Florida for a thirty second flight. A number of extra rockets in SpaceX's stock are nearing their thirtieth launch. In all, SpaceX has greater than 20 Falcon 9 boosters in its fleet on each the East and West Coasts. SpaceX engineers are actually certifying the Falcon 9 boosters for as much as 40 flights apiece.
10,000 and counting … SpaceX's two launches final weekend weren't simply noteworthy for Falcon 9 lore. Hours after setting the brand new booster reuse document, SpaceX deployed a batch of 28 Starlink satellites from a distinct rocket after lifting off from California. This mission propelled SpaceX's Starlink program previous a notable milestone. With the satellites added to the constellation on Sunday, the corporate has delivered greater than 10,000 mass-produced Starlink spacecraft to low-Earth orbit. The precise determine stands at 10,006 satellites, in response to a tabulation by Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist who expertly tracks comings and goings between Earth and area. About 8,700 of those Starlink satellites are nonetheless in orbit, with SpaceX including extra each week.
China is on the cusp of one thing large. Launch startup LandSpace is within the last phases of preparations for the primary flight of its Zhuque-3 rocket and a doubtlessly landmark mission for China, Space News reports. LandSpace mentioned it accomplished the primary section of the Zhuque-3 rocket's inaugural launch marketing campaign this week. The Zhuque-3 is the biggest business rocket developed so far in China, almost matching the scale and efficiency of SpaceX's Falcon 9, with 9 first stage engines and a single higher stage engine. One key distinction is that the Zhuque-3 burns methane gas, whereas Falcon 9's engines eat kerosene. Most notably, LandSpace will try to land the rocket's first stage booster at a location downrange from the launch website, just like the way in which SpaceX lands Falcon 9 boosters on drone ships at sea. Zhuque-3's first stage will goal for a land-based website in an experiment that might pave the way in which for LandSpace to reuse rockets sooner or later.
