Azernews.Az

ZQ-2E, an enhanced version of the ZQ-2 – world’s first liquid methane launch vehicle to reach orbit – lifted off from Dongfeng Commercial Space Launch Site in Northwest China for its first flight this year on Saturday around 12:12 pm. The mission successfully delivered a batch of six Tianyi commercial satellites into their preset orbits, marking a complete success, Azernews reports, citing Global Times.

According to its developer, the Beijing-based space startup LandSpace, the ZQ-2E model is China’s first dual-cryogenic liquid-fueled launch vehicle to utilize fully subcooled propellant loading.

ZQ-2E also incorporates key innovations such as a high-thrust liquid oxygen-methane propulsion system, large-area ratio niobium-tungsten alloy nozzle manufacturing technology, and an integrated structure combining single-layer common bulkhead tanks with single-layer tunnel-type feed lines, the firm stated in a press release provided to the Global Times on Saturday.

Methane, derived from natural gas, is abundant, low-cost, and easier to store than liquid hydrogen, Wang Yanan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Saturday, noting that the fuel also simplifies ground systems and reduces launch costs, while its clean combustion enables long-term engine reuse and easier cost control. Notably, SpaceX's Starship uses the same type of propeller fuel, its official website shows.

ZQ-2E can deliver a payload of around 4 tons to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), targeting missions in low Earth orbit (LEO) and SSO, and is steadily developing into a core product for serving China's commercial space market, LandSpace said.

Saturday’s launch mission marked the second commercial mission of the ZQ-2E, following its crucial maiden flight in late November 2024. To meet the Saturday mission requirements, ZQ-2E rocket was equipped for the first time with a 4.2-meter-diameter, 8.7-meter-long composite fairing, significantly enhancing compatibility with various types of large-scale payloads and further improving the rocket's mission adaptability.

The rocket features a two-stage configuration. The first stage is equipped with four Tianque-12A (TQ-12A) liquid oxygen-methane engines in parallel, each delivering a sea-level thrust of 720 kilonewtons, providing strong thrust and attitude control capabilities. The second stage uses a Tianque-15A (TQ-15A) engine with a vacuum thrust of 836 kilonewtons, featuring 60 percent throttling capability and the ability to restart up to three times. Together with the Yunque (YQ-10) auxiliary propulsion system, it supports precise operations such as thrust adjustment, orbit maneuvering, terminal velocity correction, and attitude control, meeting the demands of highly complex missions.

The mission marked the fifth flight of the ZQ-2 rocket series, according to LandSpace. Wang emphasized the significance of this launch to China’s commercial space industry, which showcased the development potential of China’s commercial space firms, some of which have achieved market-oriented operation.

“Moving forward, Chinese commercial space enterprises should focus on increasing payload capacity, gradually developing toward crewed spaceflight capability, achieving rocket reusability, and further reducing launch costs,” said Wang.

At present, the launch capacity of state-owned aerospace entities far exceeds private companies as the former are tasked with more critical scientific missions related to the operation of Tiangong space station and deep space exploration to the moon and Mars, Wang noted. “Therefore, commercial missions such as building the low-Earth orbit satellite internet represents a major opportunity for private firms.”