The Hindu: Page 07
Syllabus: GS 3: Science and Technology
Beijing Tianbing Technology Co., also known as Space Pioneer, reported that the first stage of its Tianlong-3 rocket detached from its launch pad during a test in Gongyi, central China.
- The detachment was due to a structural failure, causing the stage to land 1.5 km away in hilly terrain.
- Designed to be partially reusable with a first stage that can land itself and be used again (up to 10 times).
- Aims to compete in the commercial launch market for medium-sized payloads to low Earth orbit (LEO) and sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).
- Tianlong-3 is a partly reusable, two-stage rocket aimed at cutting mission costs, comparable in performance to SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
- Space Pioneer is among several Chinese private-sector firms rapidly growing in the commercial space sector since 2014, focusing on developing reusable rockets and launching satellites.
