World Frontier Technology Development Report 2023 "World Aerospace Technology Development Report" (3) Launch Vehicle Technology

Data comes from: "World Frontier Technology Development Report 2023" and the Internet

1 Overview

In 2022, major countries carried out a total of 186 space launch missions, breaking the record of 146 launches set in 2021, the highest number of launches in history. Among them, the United States launched 87 times, China launched 64 times, Russia launched 22 times, Europe and India each launched 5 times, and Iran, South Korea and Japan each launched 1 time. Seven of the launch missions failed, mainly during the test flight missions of newly developed rockets. Among the space launch missions implemented in the United States, SpaceX has exclusively completed 61 times, of which 60 were completed by the "Falcon"-9 rocket and once by the "Falcon Heavy" rocket.

2. Disposable carriers

2.1 The U.S. Virgin Orbit company’s “Carrier One” rocket successfully performed two air launch missions

In January 2022, Virgin Orbit's "Carrier One" air-launched small launch vehicle was carried to high altitude by a Boeing 747 aircraft for its fourth launch. Compared with the previous three launches, this launch changed the landing point of the rocket to the Pacific Ocean southwest of the West Coast, allowing the rocket to send satellites into orbit at an inclination of 45 degrees, improving launch efficiency. This launch mission will send 7 3U CubeSats into low Earth orbit, including 4 "Space Test Program"-27VPB (STP-27VPB) satellites of the U.S. Department of Defense and 2 Polish Satellite Revolution Corporation (SatRevolution) STORK constellation earth observation satellite and a cubesat used by Spire Global to observe the orbital debris environment.

2.2 The American Firefly Aerospace Company’s “Alpha” rocket successfully launched for the first time

In October 2022, the American Firefly Aerospace Company's "Alfa" rocket was successfully launched for the first time, sending three satellite payloads into orbit, including: "Teachers in Space" (Teachers in Space), which is used to collect data and share it with the education community. Serenity, TIS-Serenity) educational CubeSats; TechEdSat-15 (TES-15) NASA technology demonstration CubeSats designed to optimize cubesat data transmission; and PiSat, which carries five microsatellites Bus” (PicoBus) multi-star deployer.

The "Alfa" rocket is a two-stage liquid oxygen and kerosene rocket with a total length of 29 meters, a rocket body diameter of 1.82 meters, and a take-off mass of 54 tons. It is worth noting that this is the second launch attempt of the "Alfa" rocket. The rocket attempted its first launch in September 2021, but failed after it rolled and exploded in the air shortly after passing the maximum dynamic pressure.

2.3 The American Rotary Launch Company’s suborbital accelerator completed its 10th flight test

In October 2022, the American Spin Launch suborbital accelerator completed its 10th flight test. This test verified the inherent compatibility of the standard satellite components of Rotary Launch's partners with the Rotary Launch system, provided flight data, and successfully completed the flight and recovery of all payloads. The unpowered spacecraft prototype launched from the suborbital accelerator carries six payloads, four of which are from Rotary Launch's partners, including NASA, Airbus, Cornell Engineering and Outpost ), and the other two are measuring instruments of the Rotary Launch Company.

2.4 Roscosmos completed the ignition test of the RD-171MV engine

In August 2022, the Academician Glushko Power Machinery Manufacturing Research and Production Complex (NPO Energomash), a subsidiary of Roscosmos, successfully completed the RD-171MV engine series for the Soyuz 5 launch vehicle Ignition test. The head of the company, Igor Arbuzov, said that the RD-171MV engine ignition test included testing the improved engine control and accident protection systems, as well as engine-related assets such as linkages and their components under different operating conditions. test. The engine is based on "naphthyl-oxygen" green combined fuel and has a thrust of up to 806 tons. It is the most powerful liquid fuel rocket engine in the world. The RD-171MV engine is planned to be used as the first stage of the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle and will perform its first launch mission in 2023.

2.5 The European Space Agency’s “Vega”-C launch vehicle failed after successfully executing its first flight mission

In July 2022, the European Space Agency's new "Vega"-C launch vehicle successfully delivered seven payloads into the predetermined orbit, marking the complete success of the first flight mission. The launch carried a total payload mass of about 474 kilograms, including the "Laser Relativity"-2 (LARES-2) satellite developed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and six cubesats from France, Italy and Slovenia. wait. According to the European Space Agency, the "Vega"-C launch vehicle uses a four-stage configuration with a three-stage solid booster and a liquid upper stage. It can send 2.3 tons of payload into the Earth's polar orbit 700 kilometers above the earth and is flexible. It is stronger, has higher performance, carries larger payload and is more competitive.

2.6 South Korea successfully launched the "World" carrier rocket and became the seventh country in the world to have independent space launch capabilities.

In June 2022, South Korea's first independently developed launch vehicle "World" was successfully launched from the Naro Space Center carrying a 180-kilogram satellite and four cube satellites, marking South Korea becoming the world's first Seven countries with autonomous space launch capabilities.

The "World" rocket is South Korea's first completely independently developed launch vehicle. The overall project took about 12 years and the total investment was nearly 1.61 billion US dollars. The rocket is 47.2 meters long and has a maximum diameter of 3.5 meters. The propellant is liquid oxygen kerosene and can send 1.5 tons of payload into a sun-synchronous orbit of 600 to 800 kilometers. The rocket is a three-stage rocket. The first stage uses four KRE-075 engines, each with a thrust of 75 tons. The second stage uses one KRE-075 engine, with a single thrust of 75 tons. The third stage uses one KRE. -007 engine, with a single thrust of 7 tons.

2.7 France, Germany and Italy reached an agreement on the development of European launch vehicles

In November 2022, the governments of France, Germany and Italy announced the "Future of Launcher Exploitation in Europe" agreement to enhance the competitiveness of European launch vehicles. The agreement stipulates that the three countries will establish an investment framework by June 2024 to absorb social capital for launch vehicles such as Ariane 6 and Vega C, and allow several European companies to The launch vehicle bids for European Space Agency launch missions. At the same time, the agreement breaks with ESA's "territorial return" principle, which allocates contracts based on each country's share of its contribution to ESA projects. The signing of this agreement guarantees short-term funding for launch vehicle development, affects the long-term financing method of future projects, and ensures Europe's independent access to space.

2.8 China’s largest solid fuel rocket “Lijian-1” successfully made its first flight

In July 2022, China's largest solid fuel launch vehicle "Lijian-1" successfully made its first flight at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, sending six satellites into predetermined orbits. The satellites carried this time include: new space technology test satellite, orbiting atmospheric density detection test satellite, low-orbit quantum key distribution test satellite, electromagnetic assembly test double satellite and Nanyue Science Star, which will be used to carry out space exploration, atmospheric density detection and other related Technical verification and test application.

3. Reusable carrier

3.1 The US company SpaceX implements the "105 satellites with one rocket" single launch mission

In January 2022, the U.S. company SpaceX successfully launched 105 small satellites using a Falcon 9 rocket from the Space Force Launch Site 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, accelerating the low-cost payload single launch mission model Transformation will intensify competition in the microsatellite launch market.

3.2 The American company SpaceX’s “Falcon Heavy” rocket performed its first U.S. national security mission, sending multiple military satellites into geosynchronous orbit.

In November 2022, the American SpaceX company's "Falcon Heavy" rocket was successfully launched from the 39A launch site of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to perform the USSF-44 mission and send 6 military payloads of the U.S. Space Force into geosynchronous orbit.

3.3 The U.S. company SpaceX tests the "Starship" spacecraft in preparation for its first orbital test flight

In February 2022, Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, said that the number of Raptor engines installed in the super-heavy rocket booster will increase from 29 to 33. The number of Raptor engines installed on the Starship spacecraft will increase from 6 to 9. In September 2022, SpaceX conducted a static ignition test of seven engines of the super-heavy rocket booster. In November 2022, SpaceX conducted the test of the "Starbase" orbital launch and recovery tower to provide support for the recovery and reuse of the "Starship". The tower is equipped with a "Quick-Disconnect" (QD) rocket capture arm, which will be used to grab, lift and install the super-heavy rocket booster.

3.4 The U.S. Air Force advances the “rocket cargo” project to verify global point-to-point transportation technology

In January 2022, the U.S. Air Force awarded SpaceX a contract worth US$102 million to carry out the "Rocket Cargo" project to verify the technology and capabilities of using heavy-lift rockets to transport military cargo and humanitarian relief supplies around the world. Greg Spanjers, SpaceX's "Rocket Cargo" project manager, said that this contract formally establishes the partnership between the U.S. government and enterprises and will clarify the specific types of rockets used in the project and the specific requirements for the rockets used to transport cargo. Matters such as specific effects, actual rocket capacity and overall system cost. Spagers also said that the U.S. Air Force will collect data through relevant commercial missions conducted by SapceX in the next few years.

3.5 The U.S. Rocket Laboratory made two attempts to use helicopters to capture the "Electron" first-stage booster to advance the rocket reusability plan.

In May 2022, the U.S. Rocket Laboratory successfully used the improved "Sikorsky" S-92 helicopter (S-92 Helicopter) to successfully capture the "Electron" first-stage booster on an orbital-level launch mission over the Pacific Ocean for the first time. . Twenty seconds after the helicopter captured the booster, it was forced to release the booster because the load exceeded the load range during previous tests and simulations.

In November 2022, Rocket Lab tried again to capture the Electron rocket's first-stage booster from the air and failed, and the booster fell into the sea. The original plan for this mission was to use an improved "Sikorsky" S-92 helicopter to hook the parachute of the first-stage booster of the "Electron" rocket back to earth through the hook at the end of a long rope to complete the aerial recovery operation. However, the capture mission failed because the telemetry signal of the Electron rocket's first-stage booster was lost during re-entry into the atmosphere.

Rocket Lab conducts a series of air capture and recovery missions to test the feasibility of reusing the rocket's first-stage booster and make the Electron rocket a reusable rocket to increase the frequency of rocket launches and reduce launch costs.

3.6 The U.S. X-37B aerospace plane sets a new time in orbit record

In November 2022, the U.S. Space Force's unmanned and reusable X-37B "Orbital Test Vehicle-6, OTV-6" aerospace plane landed in Florida after operating in orbit for 908 days. Kennedy Space Center in Washington, completed its 6th mission. During this mission, the aerospace aircraft conducted a number of U.S. military scientific experiments, including converting light energy into direct current electrical energy, and broke the previous record of 780 days in orbit.

The X-37B aerospace plane has a launch weight of 4,990 kilograms, can operate at any altitude between 240 and 805 kilometers, and has fully automatic off-orbit landing capabilities. It is a member of the U.S. Space Force and the U.S. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO). The jointly operated unmanned reusable vehicle is currently the only spacecraft capable of fully autonomous return. In addition, the spacecraft introduced for the first time a payload adapter ring that can increase the number of payloads, conducted experiments such as Materials Exposure and Technology Innovation in Space (METIS-2) and long-duration space breeding, and was equipped with photovoltaic Radio frequency antenna module (Photovoltaic Radiofrequency Antenna Module) to test the technology of converting solar energy into microwaves in orbit and transmitting them to the earth.

3.7 American Blue Origin Company conducts BE-4 engine testing

In October 2022, the BE-4 (Blue Engine 4), a large rocket engine developed by the American company Blue Origin, successfully passed a 4.5-minute test, confirming that all components can withstand the pressure generated by actual launches, marking the launch of the BE-4 engine. Research and development work has entered a new stage. The BE-4 engine will be used in Blue Origin's New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle and will also be supplied to United Launch Alliance (ULA) for its Vulcan Centaur. Launch vehicles, etc. The BE-4 engine and the Raptor engine developed by SpaceX are both heavy-duty rocket engines that use methane as fuel. The BE-4 engine is one of the most powerful rocket engines in the world. The thrust provided by a single BE-4 engine is higher than that of the Raptor engine. The two engines can produce about 245 tons and about 231 tons of thrust respectively.

3.8 French company Ariane announced the first stage plan of Europe’s fully reusable rocket

In September 2022, the French Ariane company demonstrated for the first time the "Smart UpperStage for Innovative Exploration, SUSIE" fully reusable rocket at the 2022 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Paris. Level 1, but no clear timeline for the project has been announced. "Susi" adopts vertical takeoff and vertical return (VTVL) mode, with a pressurized cabin capacity of 40 cubic meters, and can be used to perform tasks such as cargo and payload transportation and manned flight. "Susi" can carry up to five astronauts when performing manned missions, and will be launched initially by the "Arian"-6 rocket.

"Susi" is a component of the New European SpaceTransportation Solutions (NESTS) led by the European Space Agency. It is expected to be used in Europe's next-generation reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle to achieve a fully reusable space mission in Europe in the future. Transportation systems pave the way.

3.9 China realizes the reuse of liquid rocket engines for the first time

In September 2022, a certain type of liquid oxygen kerosene engine independently developed by China successfully completed repeated flight tests, marking the first time that China has achieved the reuse of a liquid rocket power system, and also marked that China's liquid rocket engine reuse technology has entered the engineering application stage. This test further verified the adaptability of this type of engine to the complex thermal environment of the full mission profile and the feasibility of recovery and reuse after flight. It also explored the rapid and simplified treatment plan, inspection maintenance and health management plan of the liquid oxygen kerosene engine, and initially established a liquid oxygen kerosene engine. Rocket engine reuse design evaluation criteria promote the development and engineering application of reusable space transportation technology.

The liquid oxygen kerosene engine is the main power device of China's new generation launch vehicle. It has the advantages of high performance, large thrust, strong mission adaptability, long development cycle, and non-toxic and pollution-free. This type of liquid oxygen kerosene engine participated in the first flight test as the main power unit of an aircraft in 2021, and successfully participated in repeated flight test missions after inspection and maintenance.