What new breakthroughs are there in the first long-distance mobile launch of the Jielong-3 carrier rocket at sea?

According to Xinhua News Agency, in the early morning of December 6, my country's Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center successfully launched a satellite Internet technology test satellite in the waters near Yangjiang, Guangdong using the Jielong-3 carrier rocket. The satellite successfully entered the predetermined orbit and the launch mission was a complete success.

New rocket launch site opened above the South China Sea

Open the application launcher

The "Jielong-3" carrier rocket is 31.8 meters long, with a maximum body diameter of 2.65 meters. It can be equipped with optional fairings with diameters of 2.9 meters and 3.35 meters. It has a takeoff mass of 140 tons and a takeoff thrust of 200 tons. Its 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit carrying capacity is 1.5 tons. It supports rapid launches on land and at sea, and is China's first carrier rocket that can achieve hot launches at sea.

At the same time, this rocket is the largest solid-propellant carrier rocket in service in my country, with the characteristics of **"strong carrying capacity, large fairing envelope space, diversified launch methods, good economy, high launch efficiency and short fulfillment period"**.

In this mission, the launch ship of the Jielong-3 rocket took 5 and a half days and traveled more than 1,300 nautical miles to reach the sea area near Yangjiang, Guangdong for the first time. This is the first time that China has carried out a long-distance mobile rocket launch mission at sea , and it is also the first time that the Jielong-3 carrier rocket has carried out an application launch mission after its first successful flight, marking the beginning of the Jielong-3 carrier rocket's application launch.

Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Zhang Jingyi)

Why did the Jielong 3 sail across the ocean for a sea launch?

At sea, long-distance, and mobile launch... these cutting-edge technological breakthroughs have become a reality today.

Most of my country's launch vehicles are carried out on land. Why was the launch of the Jielong-3 chosen to be carried out at sea?

Compared with rockets that use liquid fuel as propellant, Jielong-3 uses solid fuel, which can be filled in the rocket in advance and stored for a long time, greatly reducing the launch preparation process. This feature gives Jielong-3 an inherent advantage in adapting to sea launches.

In addition, compared with land transportation, sea transportation is more convenient and efficient . The waters near Yangjiang, Guangdong can carry out near-polar orbit and sun-synchronous orbit and other southward launch missions, further verifying the rocket's adaptability to long-distance mobile launches at sea.

According to Jin Xin, the chief commander of the Jielong-3 rocket, the long-distance mobile launch at sea has complex sea conditions and is far from the home port during transportation, which requires higher reliability of the rocket. For this reason, the launch ship is equipped with a heat preservation shed to provide a stable temperature and humidity environment for the rocket during transportation.

At the same time, as a launch vehicle for commercial spaceflight, the Jielong-3 can also be economical when launched at sea. The launch location can be freely selected at sea, and the most suitable point can be selected for launching satellites in different orbits, which can effectively save fuel and reduce launch costs.

Comprehensive sources: Xinhua News Agency, China Academy of Space Technology, CCTV News, etc.