Falcon heavy rocket launch successfully "Long March 9" rocket only to be approved

At 4:45 am on the 7th, Beijing time, after two temporary delays, the "Falcon Heavy" rocket was successfully launched and the two boosters were successfully recovered.

At about 15:48 pm EST on February 6th, US SpaceX Corporation first launched the world's largest carrier rocket, Falcon Heavy, at the Kennedy Launch Center in Florida, USA. The heavy-duty Falcon rocket launched this time is up to 20 floors, and the three first-class rockets are equipped with nine engines, driven by twenty-seven engines. Although it can carry 140,000 pounds (about 63.5 tons) of cargo, this launch only carries a SpaceX company president Musk's car, a cherry red Tesla Roadster sports car. This sports car also became the first car to enter space. The two core thrusters previously designed to be separated and returned to the ground have also been successfully completed. The success of this launch and component recycling also marks a major breakthrough in human exploration of space and will further advance human exploration of space.

The first level of the Falcon Heavy is bundled from three Falcon 9 rocket cores. After more than 8 minutes of launch, the rocket cores on both sides landed at the land recycling site near the launch site. Subsequently, as planned, the middle rocket core should fall back to the unmanned ship in the Atlantic. As of press time, the recovery of the intermediate rocket core has not been announced.

At present, the second stage of the rocket is continuing to fly to the elliptical orbit around the Earth and Mars.

For the launch of the "Falcon Heavy", domestic and foreign media did not praise the words, calling it "space miracle" "feat" and "rewriting history." However, the chief designer of the launch vehicle series of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the deputy chief designer of the first lunar exploration project, and the academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Long Lehao, said in an interview with reporters on the 7th that the "Falcon heavy" launch is difficult to call "the feat. "Falcon heavy" itself is not even "heavy".

According to the US media report, "Falcon Heavy" was improved on the basis of "Falcon 9". Its payload on the near-surface track is 63.8 tons. It is the rocket with the largest capacity in active service. Many people call it "heavy." "Super heavy" launch vehicle.

"I think that a rocket with a take-off weight of more than 2,000 tons and a near-Earth orbit payload of more than 100 tons is considered a heavy-duty launch vehicle. Therefore, the Falcon 9 is not qualified." Long Lehao ​​told reporters that the representative of the heavy-duty launch vehicle in history was the "Saturn 5" launch vehicle used in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, and its near-Earth orbit carrying capacity reached 118 tons. In addition, the "Energy" carrier rocket developed by the Soviet Union is also a heavy-duty launch vehicle. "Although the 'Falcon Heavy' is the most heavy-duty in the active carrier rockets, it is still not a heavy-duty launch vehicle, let alone super heavy."

It is reported that the "Falcon Heavy" first-stage booster part is composed of three modules in parallel, and two of the external boosters are recycled "second-hand goods". This "used" rocket is reused by Long Lehao. It is considered to be the biggest technical highlight of the "Falcon Heavy". Long Lehao ​​said that the two external boosters were re-used, proving that the model is nearing stability. “Although the central booster failed to recover at sea, this road has already passed, and the technology that can be recycled will definitely be more perfect in time.”

Another technical detail that "Falcon Heavy" has received attention is that its 27 "Merlin" engines are simultaneously ignited. Space Exploration CEO Mask himself said that this is a very difficult task. "This is no way to do it," Long Lehao ​​told reporters that the 'Falcon Heavy Duty' takes off with a large weight and needs a large enough thrust when taking off. In the case of difficulty in increasing the thrust of a single engine, space exploration companies can only choose to compensate for the lack of thrust by increasing the number of engines. "The number of engines is not necessarily a good thing, the reliability of the rocket will be affected, because the complex system is not as simple and reliable," Long Lehao ​​said. "Of course, multiple engines can also bring thrust to the rocket under certain conditions. Fault tolerance."

Long Lehao ​​said that the greatest significance of the "Falcon heavy" is to promote a large-scale launch vehicle to take an important step toward low-cost development, and also opened up a new way for the launch vehicle to be different from the space shuttle. According to US media reports, the "Falcon Heavy" launch price is below $100 million, and may even be as low as $90 million. Recyclable technology is the key to reducing costs.

Long Lehao ​​believes that the previous space shuttle and the Soviet Union's "energy number" are reusable, but they are too "high", no more consideration of economic costs, the United States and the Soviet Union put political contest in the first place. "The 'Falcon Heavy' is more 'grounded', both reliability and cost-effectiveness, and the road it opened is commendable."

In fact, China is also in the process of developing a heavy-duty launch vehicle "". In the future, it will achieve a payload of 140 tons near-surface orbit, far exceeding the "heavy falcon." Long Lehao ​​told reporters that the pre-research work, technical research and program demonstration of the "Long March 9" are in progress, and there are some initial progresses, only to be formally established by the state. "With China's existing technology, it is entirely possible to develop successfully within 10 years after the project is established," Long Lehao ​​said. "According to the current dynamics of the countries in the world, the 'Long March 9' will be implemented as planned, and it may be One of the most capable rockets in the world." Currently, the Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle being built by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a low-earth orbit payload of Block 1, Block 1B and Block 2 of 70 tons, 105 tons and 130 tons, respectively. On the "Long March 9".

Long Lehao ​​said that China has a good foundation for launch vehicle technology. Although it is not as strong as the United States, the gap between the two countries is narrowing. Long Lehao ​​analyzed that the US industrial base is relatively mature. After six or seven decades of accumulation, the aerospace infrastructure is relatively sound. Private companies such as Space Exploration Corporation can use this foundation to increase investment and concentrate talents. Out of results. "Of course, the US government is also vigorously supporting private companies in the aerospace sector."

"The heavy-duty launch vehicle is a symbol of the country's comprehensive strength." Long Lehao ​​told reporters that in the future, human-built space solar power stations, deep space exploration, and space immigration will be inseparable from heavy-duty launch vehicles. "Heavy rockets are future-oriented technologies that determine how far humans can go in space in the future."