Ever wondered how a spaceship gets ready for liftoff? Meet Tianlong-3, or the “Heavenly Dragon,” getting pumped up for its big debut! 🚀
On Monday, engineers at the Haiyang Oriental Aerospace Port in east China's Shandong Province ran the first-stage propulsion test on an offshore pad. With nine “Tianhuo-12” engines firing in perfect sync, the 72-meter tall rocket (weighing in at 600 tonnes) showed off steady ignition, engine flame and high-temperature shielding, anti-vibration support, and wind and lightning protection like a pro. 🌩️🔥
Designed to haul 1722 tonnes to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and 1017 tonnes to sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), Tianlong-3 can launch up to 36 satellites in one mission. Its also built to carry big cargo to the Chinese space station and even reach medium and high orbits. Talk about multi-tasking! 🌏🛰️
Kang Yonglai, founder of Space Pioneer (the Beijing-based company behind the rocket), confirmed that all systems met performance goalsperfect timing, stable engine operation, and smooth shutdown. Next stop? The maiden flight at the end of 2025! ✨
Stay tuned as this Heavenly Dragon readies for takeoffspace exploration is heating up! 🔭
Reference(s):
China's Tianlong-3 rocket completes first-stage propulsion system test
cgtn.com
