China's 'Ujugulgi' Is No Joke... Catching Up to US Space Shuttle [Reading Science]

Successful Launch Achieved with Development of Solid Rocket Booster Technology

Launch scene of China's Changzheng 6A. Photo by Space News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] China has successfully launched the large-scale space launch vehicle Changzheng 6A, equipped with four solid rocket boosters, for the first time. This marks the completion of solid rocket booster technology that the United States used in its space shuttles. China's "space rise" initiative, aimed at catching up with the U.S. in space, is expected to gain further momentum.

On the 30th, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that on the 29th, they successfully launched the Changzheng 6A rocket from the launch site in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China.

The Changzheng 6A consists of a main body equipped with two kerosene (aviation kerosene) engines and four solid rocket boosters. While NASA's space shuttles and the European Space Agency's (ESA) Ariane rockets have long used solid rocket boosters, this is the first time for China with the Changzheng 6A. This launch vehicle is an upgraded version of the existing Changzheng 6, measuring 50 meters in length and weighing 530 tons. Its maximum diameter is 3.35 meters, which is 1.1 meters larger than the previous version Changzheng 6's 2.25 meters. Using two YF100 engines, it performs much better than the Changzheng 6, which uses only one engine. It can carry up to 4 tons of cargo to a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of up to 700 km. The Changzheng 6 is shorter at 29 meters and can only carry about 1 ton to the same altitude at best. The Changzheng 6A is also expected to be used in versions with only two solid rocket boosters or none at all.

Solid rocket boosters are famously known for their use in the U.S. space shuttle development. The lightest shuttle in the series, Endeavour, weighed 92 tons by itself and had a total launch weight of 2,000 tons. To handle such weight, NASA developed and equipped powerful solid rocket boosters.

China plans to fill the gap in transport capacity among currently developed launch vehicles with the Changzheng 6A. The most powerful rocket currently owned by China, the Changzheng 8, is equipped with two liquid engine boosters and can carry a total of 5 tons to SSO. The basic version of the Changzheng 8, without boosters, has a transport capacity of 3 tons.

The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology explained, "The technology combining liquid rockets and solid rocket boosters, along with breakthrough developments in stage separation and attitude control technology, has been demonstrated," adding, "It can carry a wide cargo bay measuring 4.2 to 5.2 meters in size."