📋 Tender Overview
On December 3, the Zhuque-3 Yao-1 launch vehicle was launched from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Area, successfully completing its flight mission as per the program, with the rockets second stage entering the designated orbit. The Zhuque-3 is a new generation of low-cost, high-capacity, high-frequency, reusable liquid oxygen-methane launch vehicle independently developed by Landspace Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. The Zhuque-3 Yao-1 launch vehicle adopts a single-core two-stage serial configuration, with a diameter of 4.5 meters for both stages and a fairing diameter of 5.2 meters, and a total length of 66.1 meters. The power system is based on the Tianque series liquid oxygen-methane engines independently developed by Landspace Aerospace. The first stage of the rocket is equipped with a reaction control system, grid fins, and landing legs, allowing for vertical return recovery and reuse after completing the orbital launch. This mission also conducted recovery verification for the first stage of the rocket, but an abnormal combustion occurred during the process, preventing a soft landing at the recovery site, resulting in a failure of the recovery test, with the specific reasons currently under further analysis and investigation. Although this mission did not achieve the planned recovery goal for the first stage of the rocket, it validated the correctness and rationality of the testing, launching, and flight process plans for the Zhuque-3 launch vehicle, as well as the compatibility of various system interfaces, and obtained key engineering data on the rockets real flight status, laying an important foundation for subsequent launch services and reliable recovery and reuse of the sub-stages. It is reported that the development team will soon conduct a comprehensive review and technical reset of this test process, fully investigate the cause of the failure, and continuously optimize the recovery plan to further advance reusable verification in subsequent missions. (Zhang Wei, Cai Jinman)
