By MA Yueran
The ZQ-2 rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on July 12 and completed its mission according to the procedure.
Developed entirely by LandSpace, the ZQ-2 is the world’s first liquid methane rocket and a breakthrough that makes a good start for China's private space sector.
LandSpace claims the ZQ-2 can deliver a 6,000-kilogram payload to a 200-kilometer low Earth orbit or 4,000 kilograms to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. At 49.5 meters tall with a take-off mass of 219 tons, the ZQ-2 packs 268 tons of thrust.
The Beijing-based company was established in 2015 and is the first privately-owned enterprise in China engaged in carrier rocket development. In October 2018, LandSpace conducted the first domestic private launch of a carrier rocket, but the solid-fuel ZQ-1 failed to reach orbit. This was the second attempt by to launch the ZQ-2. An attempt in December met with failure.
Companies including SpaceX are working on methane as a safer alternative to solid propellants and liquid hydrogen. However, LandSpace is the first to send what could become the next generation of launch vehicles into space.
