Dragon carrier rocket series
On 20 October 2019, the development plan and future launch plan of China's latest rocket series, the "Dragon" series of carrier rockets, were released in Beijing. The "Dragon" series is the first carrier rocket series launched by the Aerospace Science and Technology Group after the "Long March" series for commercial aerospace launches, mainly to meet the growing demand for commercial loads to orbit at home and abroad. The "Dragon" series of products are planned to be divided into two categories, "Jielong" solid commercial launch vehicle series and "Tenglong" liquid commercial launch vehicle series.
The "Jielong" series includes Jielong 1, 2 and 3 solid launch vehicles, and Jielong-S suborbital vehicles. This series of rockets can launch a spacecraft of 200 kg to 1.5 tons to a sun-synchronous orbit 500 kilometers from the ground. The first flight of Jielong No. 1 was successfully completed on August 17, 2019. Jielong No. 2 and No. 3 planned to complete their first flight tests in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
The precise relationship among the four rockets was unclear, and was not clarified by some of the the charts and the models initially released. The models suggest that the Jielong 1, Jielong 2 and Jielong 3 might have diameters of 1, 2 and 3 meters. But the chart suggests that the Jielong 2 and Jielong 3 are about the same size, which seems not quite right. The models depict that Jielong-S sounding rocket as rather smaller than even the Jielong 1 launcher, while the chart depicts the Jielong-S and Jielong 1 as about the same size, which it not plausible.
More detailed individual artwork of the four individual vehicles clarified the relationships. ChinaRocket, a commercial space wing of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the country's leading rocket-maker, on 21 October 2019 unveiled its plans to develop a number of carrier rocket models to tap the space launch market. The company announced that its researchers were designing two types of solid-propellant carrier rockets – Smart Dragon 2 and Smart Dragon 3 – and at least one liquid-propellant type, the Flying Dragon 1. The SD series is designed to provide reliable, convenient and economic launch services for commercial satellite enterprises to build their networks or test their equipment. Tang Yagang, president of ChinaRocket, said at a news conference in Beijing that the company will strive for annual production of up to 10 SD-2s and eight SD-3s to meet demand from the burgeoning commercial space industry.
The SD-2 will be 21 meters tall with a diameter of 2 meters, and will have a liftoff weight of 60 metric tons. It will be capable of carrying a 500-kilogram payload to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometers. Flight tests are to begin next year. The SD-3, with a total length of 31 meters, a diameter of 2.6 meters and a liftoff weight of about 116 tons, will be capable of sending more than 1.5 tons to the same orbit. Its maiden flight is penciled in for 2021.
The SD-1, the first in the series and the youngest member of China's carrier rocket family, made its debut flight in August from northwestern China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, successfully placing three satellites into an orbit about 550 kilometers above Earth. The mission gave China its fourth brand of carrier rocket alongside China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp's Long March series, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp's Kuaizhou and the SQX, made by the privately owned space startup iSpace in Beijing. The SD-1 is 19.5 meters tall, has a diameter of 1.2 meters and weighs 23.1 tons. The rocket can place multiple satellites with a combined weight of 200 kg into a sun-synchronous orbit 500 km above the ground. It is China's smallest and lightest carrier rocket.
The FD-1 will be a medium-lift, liquid-fuel rocket that is reusable. It is currently in the detailed planning phase. Designers expect the rocket to ferry medium-size and large satellites, or several small satellites. The first flight is planned for 2021, Tang said.
The "Jielong" series of solid carrier rockets pursue the goal of "high cost-effectiveness, high reliability, fast compliance, and fast launch", and provide reliable, convenient and economical exclusive launches for domestic and foreign commercial satellite users for constellation networking, supplementary network, and payload verification. It would provide scheduled orbit launch and loading services.
The "Dragon" series of launch vehicles are medium and small tonnage launch vehicles, mainly to meet the growing market demand for rocket launches at home and abroad. The biggest feature of the "Dragon" series is its rapid launch capability. Compared with the "Long March" series of carrier rockets, the "Dragon" series is much smaller. The "Dragon" series consists of the "Jielong" solid carrier rocket series and the "Tenglong" liquid carrier rocket. The series consists of the "Jielong" series currently has four models, all of which are solid fuel rockets, namely the "Jielong" No. 1, 2, and 3, and the "Jielong"-S suborbital carrier. With a load capacity of 200 kg to 1.5 tons, it can achieve a sun-synchronous orbit with a height of 500 kilometers. The main feature is the rapid launch capability, the use of high reliability and high cost performance to achieve rapid launch deployment, which can be launched not only from land but also from sea.
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