14 Chinese satellites were lost in space after a huge error in the launch of a new generation rocket

It is a day when we forget China and its space dream. With a rocket launch yesterday using a new generation fuel, mainly methane, China should have had a great day yesterday. An engine problem that prevented the rocket from reaching its planned orbit ruined the party…and the 14 satellites it was carrying.

Black day – or rather, purple if we refer to the color left by the rocket and its new fuel – for Chinese space programme. Actually, while The launch of the Zhuque-2 spacecraft I got off to a good start engine problem It prevented the next-generation rocket from gathering enough velocity to allow it to reach its planned altitude. 7.8 kilometers per second. It was the speed needed to allow the Chinese missile to accomplish its mission as planned. The New methane fuel However, it only achieved a speed of 5 kilometers per second.

In addition toFailure and its negative repercussions on the Chinese space programAnd the 14 advanced satellites Also lost in space. In fact, when the Chinese space agency does a test launch, it doesn’t do things by half. Because of this, its experimental Zhuque 2 rocket was already carrying several satellites.

To read: Space: China maps the entire surface of Mars

Is liquid methane about to revolutionize aviation?

But the idea was well received by Chinese scientists. If the Zhuque 2 launch was successful, the Chinese space agency would have overtaken Space X in this high-value sector. The liquid methane represents, in many ways, The future of teleportation. Less polluting than the hydrogen or kerosene generally used, all companies in the aviation sector are currently developing new propulsion models based on methane.

As a reminder, the environmental cost of a conventional rocket launch puts between 200 and 300 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, or 100 times more than a long-range flight. In addition, gases harmful to the ozone layer are released by combustion engines.

source : gizmodo.com