China Reveals a New Heavy Lift Rocket That Is a Clone of SpaceX's Starship (arstechnica.com) 20
Ars Technica's Eric Berger reports: When Chinese space officials unveiled the design for the country's first super heavy lift rocket nearly a decade ago, it looked like a fairly conventional booster. The rocket was fully expendable, with three stages and solid motors strapped onto its sides. Since then, the Asian country has been revising the design of this rocket, named Long March 9, in response to the development of reusable rockets by SpaceX. As of two years ago, China had recalibrated the design to have a reusable first stage. Now, based on information released at a major airshow in Zhuhai, China, the design has morphed again. And this time, the plan for the Long March 9 rocket looks almost exactly like a clone of SpaceX's Starship rocket.
Based on its latest specifications, the Long March 9 rocket will have a fully reusable first stage powered by 30 YF-215 engines, which are full-flow staged combustion engines fueled by methane and liquid oxygen, each with a thrust of approximately 200 tons. By way of comparison, Starship's first stage is powered by 33 Raptor engines, also fueled with methane and liquid oxygen, each with a thrust of about 280 tons. The new specifications also include a fully reusable configuration of the rocket, with an upper stage that looks eerily similar to Starship's second stage, complete with flaps in a similar location. According to a presentation at the airshow, China intends to fly this vehicle for the first time in 2033, nearly a decade from now. Last week, Chinese space startup Cosmoleap announced plans to develop a fully reusable "Leap" rocket with the next few years. "An animated video that accompanied the funding announcement indicated that the company seeks to emulate the tower catch-with-chopsticks methodology that SpaceX successfully employed during Starship's fifth flight test last month," reports Ars.
Based on its latest specifications, the Long March 9 rocket will have a fully reusable first stage powered by 30 YF-215 engines, which are full-flow staged combustion engines fueled by methane and liquid oxygen, each with a thrust of approximately 200 tons. By way of comparison, Starship's first stage is powered by 33 Raptor engines, also fueled with methane and liquid oxygen, each with a thrust of about 280 tons. The new specifications also include a fully reusable configuration of the rocket, with an upper stage that looks eerily similar to Starship's second stage, complete with flaps in a similar location. According to a presentation at the airshow, China intends to fly this vehicle for the first time in 2033, nearly a decade from now. Last week, Chinese space startup Cosmoleap announced plans to develop a fully reusable "Leap" rocket with the next few years. "An animated video that accompanied the funding announcement indicated that the company seeks to emulate the tower catch-with-chopsticks methodology that SpaceX successfully employed during Starship's fifth flight test last month," reports Ars.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Or do you consider all cars to be clones of the Hippomobile (1860)?
Re: (Score:2)
By TFA's logic the SpaceX rocket it is a clone of is just a knock-off of Blue Origin's rocket that did the first vertical landing.
In reality you are absolutely correct. There is an optimal shape for rockets, an optimal design for the fold out legs, an optimal size and location for the control surfaces. Like all airliners look pretty much the same, with the wings and tail converging in the same places.
We had the same thing with Buran as well, despite it being a very different spacecraft to the Shuttle.
Re: (Score:2)
There has been enough in the media about SpaceX Starship that copying the basic design and reverse engineering the rest would be possible
Re: (Score:2)
It wasn't based on stolen Shuttle designs. Naturally they looked at the Shuttle's capabilities and the types of missions it could perform, but Buran is a fundamentally very different vehicle.
For example, it has no main engines at all. If it was a copy of the Shuttle, it would need those engines to reach orbit. If the goal was to copy the Shuttle, those engines would be vital for matching its performance and in-orbit capabilities. Russia wanted the payload and platform aspects, but had different missions in
Re: (Score:2)
"Based on the same principles" would be things like "rolls on a 2D surface, minimizing friction" and "has an internal propulsion mechanism", perhaps "carries its fuel along". When implementation details like "has four wheels" and "an internal combustion engine" come up, it is closer maybe not to a clone, but to an offspring.
Other countries are not bound by our laws (Score:2)
it's not fair, it never was, to the people at the top, this looks like us versus them and they don't lose, these things go as far as they can
i'm tired of being manipulated by you /.
Re: (Score:2)
people can't just post anonymously anymore, that's total bs
Re: (Score:2)
first post free speech, i'm on a roll here ....
Re: (Score:2)
i'm referring to the fact that anonymous cowards aren't really anonymous anymore since we all have to log in to post and recently slashdot has made me wait before I submit anonymous comments
i get that such comments aren't worth much but still, it's the principle of the thing, I mean we already have the best moderation system and being able to post anonymously lets people make complete fools of ourselves but at least we get the raw stuff that oversight removes
censorship isn't pretty
yah, i get carried away w
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Clone? (Score:3)
China Reveals a New Heavy Lift Rocket That Is a Clone of SpaceX's Starship
Clone? Last time I looked 'clone' meant an exact component for component copy. That does not look like an exact slavish copy unless Musk has obtained an insanely broad patent on cylindrically shaped launch vehicles with a rounded pointy nose section fins on sides and rocket engines at the back end and if somebody wants to point at the canards as evidence of 'cloning', the concept of canard control surfaces have been around since the Wright Flyer in 1903 which was literally the first aircraft capable of sustained flight.
Re: Clone? (Score:1)
Excuse me, China bad, ok?
Re: (Score:2)
Excuse me, China bad, ok?
I know, stupid is as stupid does.
Omg, what next?? (Score:2)
Will they start making mini flame throwers, digging tunnels under Vegas and producing the ugliest truck ever conceived?!
If they make an ugly af truck he should definitely sue! "There can be ... only one!" *lightning and thunder*
Re: Omg, what next?? (Score:2)