Beijing Tianping Technology Corporation on Sunday successfully launched a kerosene-oxygen rocket, becoming the first private Chinese company to send a liquid-fuel rocket into space and one step closer to making reusable rockets.
Chinese commercial space companies have rushed to enter this field since 2014, when Beijing allowed private investment in this sector. Many companies have started manufacturing satellites, while others, including Beijing Tianping, have focused on developing reusable rockets, which could greatly reduce the costs of space missions.
The “Beijing Tianping” company, also known as “Space Pioneer”, developed the “Tianlong-2” or (Heavenly Dragon) non-reusable rocket. And official Chinese media reported that it was successfully launched into orbit from the Jiuquan Launch Center in northwest China today, Sunday.
And unlike solid-propellant missiles, which cannot control the flow of fuel, liquid-fueled missiles have much more control over their flight path.
Some liquid-fueled rockets, such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 private rocket, can return to Earth in a controlled vertical descent.
Source: AFP
