Work on Long March 9/X may have been authorized

[xenomorph555]

This statement by a high level scientist has just been released:

"A powerful carrier rocket is essential for a manned moon landing.

"We hope to make breakthroughs within four or five years on design and key technology for the heavy carrier, a solid foundation for developing such a rocket," he said.

Breakthroughs are needed on the overall design of the rocket, including development of a 460 tonne thrust liquid oxygen and kerosene engine and a 220 tonne liquid hydrogen engine.

"We hope to finish all these within the next 15 years, so the heavy rocket will make its first maiden flight sometime around 2030," Lei said

The rocket is envisaged as having a payload capacity of 130 tonnes to low Earth orbit. Once in service, it will help with missions between 2030 and 2050, and secure China's position in terms of space exploration and technology."

If this true, then it is incredibly disappointing, I was expecting the LM-9 to be ready in 10 years maximum not possibly 15+.

I guess America will be next on the moon after all...

[Kibble]

I was expecting the LM-9 to be ready in 10 years maximum not possibly 15+.

I guess America will be next on the moon after all...

Not necessarily. Even the Block I SLS won't be ready until at least 2017, and in that configuration Orion-System can only go on a free-return trajectory around the Moon. Block IB will be more capable, but that requires more hardware - the Exploration Upper Stage - to be designed, qualified, tested, and manufactured. Even then, it would have nowhere to go until the scheduled Exploration Mission 2, the manned exploration of a redirected asteroid, which hasn't even selected a basic mission mode (bag a little one, or pluck a boulder?), much less actually discovered and selected a target, designed, qualified, tested, and manufactured the hardware. That could take years, and then they have to actually fly the redirect mission, which (since its using SEP) will take years more. The quoted 2021 launch is probably extremely optimistic. More likely System will fly EM-1 2017-2019, EM-2 2023-2025. Even then, Block IB System will not be able to support a lunar landing. This will require Block II, which means even more development of new hardware, plus the development and selection of a lunar landing mission mode, and the development of mission-relevant hardware (like the lander).

My point is developing new hardware, especially space hardware, especially man-rated space hardware, especially NASA's guidelines, takes a bunch of time and a bunch of money. That's why developing a whole new launch system and capsule and junk is a very bad idea, and expanding and incrementally improving on reliable designs is a very good idea. Russia has been regularly launching R-7 derived rockets since 1957 - thru economic crises, political upheavals, and the transition into an entirely new government.

[B787_300]

Ah but the thing is they have just been doing incremental changes, they ahve not tried something new unless the US was doing it or had done it. (See Buran or N1). The thing is that you really need to take risks in developing rockets, BUT at the same time you need a firm goal to work towards.

SpaceX has the right idea, they have a FIRM goal of getting people to Mars and are working towards that by slowly stepping up, first Falcon 1, the the 1e, then Falcon 9, then 9v1.1, now working on F9R, then FH, then MCT/BFR

NASA is sorta screwed because their goal changes every 4 years about, they need a President or Congress to say we are doing this, here is the money, this goal will be firm and unchanging.

[xenomorph555]

It doesn't need to be Nasa, judging by what is going on right now the US will land on the moon again by 2025 (or 2020) using private companys.

[astropapi1]

It doesn't need to be Nasa, judging by what is going on right now the US will land on the moon again by 2025 (or 2020) using private companys.

Source? I can't imagine anybody paying a private company to develop the necessary hardware for such a mission.

[xenomorph555]

Source? I can't imagine anybody paying a private company to develop the necessary hardware for such a mission.

I meant as in the private company represents the US. There was a large thread ages ago discussing whether or not a private company represents a country, the general consensus was it does.

As for funding hardware, Spacex appears to be doing so with Raptor, MCT, etc.

[B787_300]

There is the Lunar X prize or some thing like that which is sponsored by Google IIRC

[xenomorph555]

New articles have been released:

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-12/08/content_19039479.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/11279450/China-develops-new-rocket-for-manned-moon-mission.html

http://rt.com/news/212479-china-new-rocket-moon/

These articles are updated and contain more info such as, the rocket will be called Long March 9, it will come out possibly in 2028, it will launch manned lunar/deep space missions and other stuff.

More information is good although still sad since, "It will carry China's first manned mission" pretty much kills any LM-5 manned flybys or LM-5DY orbiting/landing missions.

[m4rt14n]

Maybe theyre waiting for the US to finish SLS and/or Falcon Heavy to copy their reasearch papers...

[astropapi1]

Maybe theyre waiting for the US to finish SLS and/or Falcon Heavy to copy their reasearch papers...

And here we go again...

[xenomorph555]

Maybe theyre waiting for the US to finish SLS and/or Falcon Heavy to copy their reasearch papers...

The Long March 9 has been in study since 2000, before SLS was announced, before Constellation was announced and before SpaceX even existed. So please take your silly uber patriot US arguments away and put them on some other internet forum.

[SubzeroSpartan7]

Apparently it is under study ( presumably by CALT ) and supposedly will have a payload of 130 tons to LEO.

[King Arthur]

The Long March 9 has been in study since 2000, before SLS was announced, before Constellation was announced and before SpaceX even existed. So please take your silly uber patriot US arguments away and put them on some other internet forum.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past half-century or so, it's a well-known fact that China steals the technology of others like nobody's business given even the slightest of chances. I'm sure the Sukhoi engineers can tell you all about how the Flanker was copy-stolen to hell and back, among many other things.

Now don't get me wrong, conspiracy theories are bad, but it is also equally bad to deny that China would steal the technology behind the SLS, the Falcon Heavy, or whatever else, because they have a historic precedence of stealing others' work.

[B787_300]

Okay enough of the saying China steals technology from other countries. It is called espionage, all countries do it. It also is a very Political discussion and is against the Community Rules (2.2B).

Now please stay on topic of the Long March IX / X.

Edited December 9, 2014 by B787_300

[xenomorph555]

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past half-century or so, it's a well-known fact that China steals the technology of others like nobody's business given even the slightest of chances. I'm sure the Sukhoi engineers can tell you all about how the Flanker was copy-stolen to hell and back, among many other things.

Now don't get me wrong, conspiracy theories are bad, but it is also equally bad to deny that China would steal the technology behind the SLS, the Falcon Heavy, or whatever else, because they have a historic precedence of stealing others' work.

No I have not been living under a rock and maybe espionage for some areas but not the space division, it is very unique and good sector, any technology that originates from other countries has been purchased with their permission (like soyuz capsule and docking tech). The point is the US has their designs for heavy lifters and China has theirs, for one they can't build massive solid boosters and aren't too big on hydrolox so SLS is out of the question, and who knows if FH will work (27 engines and crossfeed, sounds dangerous).

But yes back to topic, I will post back when I find more info on engines.