China’s latest concept version of its Long March 9 rocket, which will be shown for the first time at the Zhuhai Air Show next week, looks just like SpaceX’s Starship rocket, observers at a pre-event briefing say.
As detailed by Ars Technica, the 114-metre rocket has an upper stage very similar to the Starship’s upper stage. It also has aerodynamic flaps in a similar location. The rocket is the ninth iteration of the Long March rocket family. It is named for the Chinese Red Army’s Long March campaign during the Chinese Civil War. China hopes the rocket will take its first test flights in 2033. Later that decade, it is expected to take astronauts to the Moon.
China’s space programme has a history of replicating SpaceX designs. However, the government denies ripping off Space X’s design. It says its quest to establish a reusable rocket programme is “inspired” by SpaceX’s successes in this field.
Last week, Chinese launch company Cosmoleap released promotional footage that included plans for a tower with arms designed to catch the first stage of a reusable rocket. Just like SpaceX.
Another Chinese space startup company, Space Pioneer, has plans for a rocket that closely resembles SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9. The manufacturers of the Long March 9 rocket, China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, and other rocket builders, could be accused of intellectual theft. However, observers say it’s simply a matter of China copying Space X’s best attributes. China is in a race to catch up with the US space sector.
China in race to catch up with the US
Some space industry observers even praise the Chinese government for focusing on developing a reusable rocket. In contrast, they say NASA remains preoccupied with expendable launch vehicles like the Space Launch System rocket.
Specifications released at the briefing indicate Long March 9 will have fully reusable first stage powered by 30 YF-215 engines. They will be full-flow staged combustion engines fuelled by methane and liquid oxygen. Each engine will have a thrust of around 200 tonnes. In contrast, Starship’s 33 methane and liquid oxygen-powered Raptor engines each generate around 280 tonnes of thrust.
The China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, known informally as the Zhuhai Air Show, is the country’s biggest annual aerospace trade show. While military aircraft crowd the display aprons, the country’s space sector has the chance to showcase its wares.
The show coincides with China doing a successful crew change at its orbiting space station. Three new crew members arrived at the Tiangong space station space station late last month. The three astronauts they replaced returned to Earth on November 4 after a six month stay.
The Zhuhai Air Show runs between November 12 – 17, 2024. Over 1,000 private and state-owned companies from 49 countries are participating. However, Boeing recently said they won’t be attending. Russia’s fifth-generation Su-57 fighter has made a relatively rare international excursion to the Air Show. Already commentators are noting the large number of bolts holding. They say it’s not very high tech and speaks “volumes about the real technological level of aircraft construction in Russia.”
