Dragon Series Commercial Launch Vehicle Released Officially

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) under China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) held a news conference on October 19,2019,officially announcing the Jielong (Smart Dragon) series of solid propellant commercial launch vehicles have been put into operation,and introducing the development and launch plan of the Tenglong (Soaring Dragon) series liquid propellant commercial launch vehicle.

In addition to its Long March series launch vehicle,CASC offers the Dragon series of rockets for commercial launch services to mainly meet the increasing needs of commercial payload insertion both at home and abroad.At present,the Dragon series includes two families.i.e.the Jielong solid commercial launch vehicle family and the Tenglong liquid commercial launch vehicle family.

The Jielong family comprises three versions of solid carrier rockets,i.e.Jielong 1,Jielong 2 and Jielong 3 as well as the Jielong-S suborbital launcher.The family is capable of sending a payload of 200 kg-1.5 t to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit with fairing diameter ranging from 1.2 m to 3 m.With the aim of pursuing high cost-effectiveness,high reliability and quick launch response,Jielong solid rocket family will provide reliable,fast and economical customized launch services for constellation deployment as well as payload demonstration.

Jielong-S suborbital launcher is a new member in the family.It is a generalized,small-sized and low-cost demonstration platform for flight experiments to serve the near space scientific research.It will help experiments and demonstrations such as the environmental monitoring,aerothermodynamic research,new material research,control and measurement technology demonstration and test for universities,institutions,and high-tech enterprises

The planned Tenglong series medium liquid propellant commercial launch vehicle will be reusable in the future.They will undertake launch services of medium and large satellites and larger scale constellation.Their launch price is tried to be controlled within 5000 USD per kilogram.The rockets are under detailed definition and scheduled for making their maiden flight test around 2021.

As a leading player in expanding commercial space activities,ChinaRocket Co.,Ltd,a subsidiary of CALT,will raise tens of billions of capital for technological innovation and capacity building of commercial launchers,suborbital vehicles,reusable launch vehicles,and intelligent rockets.(DAI Zhenying/China Space News)