SpaceX’s successes in the reusable launcher and the preparations for the heavy Starship version give ideas to China, which has a busy space program in the coming years.
The Chinese government has given the green light for the development of a heavy launcher Long Walk 9 which would be totally reusable. and which will be essential for projects for the sustainable colonization of near space but also of the Moon and, in the longer term, of Mars.
Alongside the single-use version and the one with a reusable first stage, it will therefore be necessary to create a variant whose elements can be reintegrated in the following missions.
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The monster will consist of three floors and four boosters, with a carrying capacity of 150 tons in low Earth orbit, 65 tons in geosynchronous orbit or 50 tons to target the Moon, with the aim, for example, of creating a lunar research station with Russia .
A reusable two-stage concept has already been shown and is expected to be ready by 2035. The three-stage variant will be 110 meters high, weigh 4.12 tonnes and use a set of 26 motors powered by a mix Metalox (methane – liquid oxygen), more suited to the imperatives of reusing launcher stages, in addition to the kerozene – liquid oxygen combination of boosters.
The other major launcher designers are planning to use or are already using this Methalox mixture as well, notes the site. Space Newsand China appears to be closely following the development of SpaceX’s heavy-duty Starship launcher to quickly shape and scale its own projects.
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