On Thursday morning, China's space industry crossed another milestone. The Middle Kingdom's most powerful commercial rocket has taken off on its first orbital flight. OrienSpace's Gravity 1 launched from a ship in the Yellow Sea.
As reported by OrienSpace, the mission was a complete success. Gravity 1 easily launched from the base in the Yellow Sea and reached low Earth orbit. It also completed its mission in space without any problems. Yunyao 1, carried by three commercial weather satellites, was sent to a suitable location.
Gravity 1 is the most powerful rocket in the world, but not forever
After a successful launch, the Gravity 1 rocket became the world's most powerful space launch vehicle in many respects. It is capable of carrying a payload of approximately 6.5 tonnes into low Earth orbit. It is the most powerful Chinese commercial rocket, but also the most powerful solid fuel missile to fly on an orbital mission.
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However, this beautiful picture of the Gravity 1 rocket spoils the comparison to SpaceX's capabilities. Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets are a different type and differ from Gravity 1 not only in power supply. However, if we compare their carrying capacities, the Chinese still do not catch up with the Americans. Under similar conditions (in low Earth orbit), Falcon 9 could deliver about 25 tons, and Falcon Heavy 70 tons.
OrionSpace Gravity Rocket Series
However, Gravity 1 was not the last word on OrienSpace, but the beginning of a series of space launches. The company is already working on the Gravity 2 vehicle, which is scheduled to be placed on the launch platform in 2025. This rocket model will be comparable to the Falcon 9. Gravity 2 is to be a two-stage launcher whose boosters are powered by solid fuel. However, the base stage will require liquid fuel, and the rocket is expected to carry approximately 25.5 tons to low Earth orbit.
The Gravity 3 rocket is still under development, but a real project. There is no word yet on its launch, but it could be a Falcon Heavy model. Gravity 3 will be built with more boosters used in Gravity 2. So it must be very powerful, but its ultimate load-carrying capabilities remain a matter of speculation. Commentators' recommendations in this regard range from 30 to approximately 60 tons.
Katarzyna Rutkowska, journalist for Wirtualna Polska
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