Dongfang Hour

Here’s my latest infographic on Chinese commercial rockets and their engines. This should give a good idea of the new launch vehicles we can expect from China in 2023-2025. A quick thread 🧵

@TechSpatiales Haha

Considering that the CZ-10 facilities are being built in Wenchang, I think it’s likely that the CZ-9 follows suit. Especially since the Chinese seem to be planning sea-based CZ-9 first stage recovery, based on the recovery system shown at the Zhuhai Airshow last week (image below).

@DongFangHour @CNSpaceflight Definitely. Where will CZ-9 be launched from ?

Wenchang space launch site is growing. It will look like this rendering by 2026. VABs (lower left): CZ7 (under construction), CZ7, CZ5, CZ10 &CZ10A (under construction) Launch pads (upper right): CZ7, CZ5, CZ10

Wenchang is already popular with domestic tourists, you can see the beaches opposite to the launch site swamped with people during some of the big launches. I was having a look a Wenchang apartment rental for fun, some of them literally have “great views on launch site” in their title and description 😁

With this many launchpads (which could mean weekly launches at some point), coupled with the white sand beaches of Hainan and China lifting visa restrictions, it feels like Wenchang could become a hot spot for international launch tourism 🚀 Would you fly to Wenchang to watch a launch?

@halfatheist @blueorigin Interesting strategy, I feel this would definitely help DBA make its first sales and get the ball rolling…

Had fun making a 3D model for my latest video on #DeepBlueAerospace's "Rocketaholic" suborbital spacecraft. Entry-into-service scheduled in 2027, according to DBA.

@raz_liu Fantastic to see a full-scale model already 🤩 I noticed something: in 3 of the shots, there is a logo behind one of the speakers. But in the 4th shot, this logo is no longer apparent.

Haoloong Space Plane. Via CCTV

@ellieinspace Wish I could join. Enjoy!

Who else is going? I WILL be there!

@kelvin61942434 Thanks @kelvin61942434 !

@DongFangHour According to HICAL, pad #1 evacuation zone is 1.5km range, and pad 2 is 2km range.

Does anyone know the minimum safe distance from a (heavy-lift) rocket launch? Just rough numbers. I'm looking at the new commercial launch center in Wenchang, it seems there are inhabited areas within a 2-km range. I suppose these will be evacuated during a launch? 🤔

The China Space Station is going commercial! CMSA has awarded commercial supply contracts to two cargo spacecraft designs: one named "QingZhou" by CAS, to be launched on CAS-Space's Kinetica-2 next September, and one named "HaoLong" (in the pics) by AVIC Chengdu who is professional on designing aircrafts

@TAbusnardo @AJ_FI Very interesting, thanks!

@DongFangHour @AJ_FI Shenyang's relatively separate from Chengdu Aerospace On a more direct relation, Chengdu 611 was -Involved in the late 00s/early 10s Shenlong test -Received project 863 and 921 contracts in 2013 for spaceplane -Succesfully made low hypersonic WZ-8 rocket-drone this past decade

Low cost "Haolong"/昊龙 cargo shuttle concept from--curiously-- AVIC will be on display at the Zhuhai airshow. It is one of two concepts selected by CMSEO for low cost cargo missions to Tiangong, along with one from Microsat and CAS Space. m.weibo.cn/status/5094914…

@Cheney__F @AJ_FI Yes 👍

@DongFangHour @AJ_FI This one？

@Asug_Om @TheSpacePirateX Great datapoint, thanks!

@DongFangHour @TheSpacePirateX During the launch of the Soyuz (8 tons), there is a spectator area approximately 2 kilometers away.

@TheSpacePirateX Interesting. Then in that case since the rockets launching from the Hainan commercial launch site are less powerful (8-20 tons to LEO), it would seem that the inhabited areas are in the safe zone

@DongFangHour Typically, around 2.4 kilometers for LM-5 class rockets

However, I also note that during a technology catch-up phase, it appears more culturally accepted in China to build on the designs of leading competitors. The concept of "copying" in Chinese carries less of a pejorative meaning and can be translated as 学 ("to learn"), though there are also more negative translations.

Therefore the actual design of Deep Blue Aerospace's capsule may turn out to be quite different: check out for example the initial render of the Tianlong-2 rocket, compared to the actual Tianlong-2 👇

Many have noted the obvious similarities between the designs of #SpaceX's Crew Dragon 🇺🇸 & #DeepBlueAerospace's space tourism suborbital capsule 🇨🇳. But actually, I think there's a chance that DBA's final design turns out to be different. I talked about this in one of my previous videos, I think this is part of Chinese rocket companies' bad marketing practices: i.e. a product is not yet designed, but the company will render CGI copied on SpaceX designs. There could be several reasons for this: 1️⃣ In many cases, the CGI is aimed at Chinese investors, who may feel reassured that the product resembles a proven SpaceX design, without facing the pressure of competition with SpaceX as China-U.S. markets are basically decoupled. 2️⃣ Marketing budgets are low, as launch startups are still heavily relying on investor money. There is only so much you can do with a low marketing budget, leading to copied CGI (and to the odd name, "Rocketaholic").