Toni Dimaano Science 12.15.2022 04:Dec AM EST

China's Historic Methane-Fueled Orbital Rocket Launch Fails

The world's first methane-fueled rocket, which is supposed to launch toward orbit has failed, losing 14 satellites in the process.

The Zhuque-2 rocket developed by the Chinese company Landspace blasted off on Wednesday to kick off its historic first orbital mission, according to Space.

The Rocket's Second Stage Failed, Resulting To Anomaly

A number of commercial satellites were scheduled to be placed into sun-synchronous orbit during the launch, which took place on Wednesday at China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert.

However, reports state that the rocket's second stage malfunctioned, leading to a mission failure and the destruction of all satellites.

Although the Chinese space agency has not yet commented on the launch, a video of the incident shows that Zhuque-2 was not able to reach orbital velocity due issues with the rocket's second stage.

Images from Chinese launch coverage appear to show the rocket's first stage operating normally, but indicate that a significant loss of height and speed occurred after around five minutes.

Data about the launch show that the stage's vernier thrusters were not used as expected to propel the stage and its payloads into orbit following a burn by the main engine.

According to Space News, successes of Chinese launches are frequently reported right away following a successful orbital insertion.

Despite the Zhuque-2 mission's failure, it nonetheless shows how quickly China's space program is developing its national and commercial capabilities.

With the intention of placing these satellites in a sun-synchronous orbit, Zhuque-2 carried a number of commercial satellites.

In 2022, China is on track to have 60 successful launches under its belt, and the T-shaped Tiangong space station was just finished, Space writes.

Chinese commercial space companies have advanced this year as well, with additional launch providers starting to orbit payloads on behalf of the publicly traded China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC).

What Is The Zhuque-2 And What Is It For

Zhuque-2, also known as "Vermillion Bird-2," is a gas generator-powered spacecraft that can carry 6,000 kilograms to a 200-kilometer low Earth orbit (LEO) or 4,000 kg to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).

The rocket has a 3.35-meter diameter, a 49.5-meter overall length, a 219-ton take-off mass, and can generate 268 tons of thrust.

Methane rocket engine development has involved several engineering difficulties but promises benefits in terms of reusability, a feature that is seen to be revolutionizing the launch business.

Among the several businesses aiming for their own test flights, the Zhuque-2 mission was the first orbital launch of a rocket powered by methane in history, Space News reports.

Landspace is one of the earliest of China's emerging commercial launch firms, whose first launch took place four years ago with Zhuque-1 which also ended in failure.

Although Landspace said in November that it was already developing a second Zhuque-2 flying model, it is unclear how the failure will affect the timetable for the subsequent launch attempt.

However, with Beijing-based iSpace currently working on its own methalox rocket, the Hyperbola-2, which just unveiled its first-stage testing, Zhuque-2 may soon have competition.