Long March 9

[daveklingler]

- 140 mt to LEO
- 50 mt to lunar orbit
- at least partial reusability.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/china-officially-plans-to-move-ahead-with-super-heavy-long-march-9-rocket/

[newfrontiers]

[newfrontiers]

But I don't think it's official. 

[GWH]

Quite disappointed to see this. Their 3 core "Falcon FrankenHeavy" vehicle makes much more sense to me as it would be at least on the road to reusability.

This looks like another megarocket albatross, altough they have the significant advantage of having developed multiple new rockets in the past decade that this one is derived from.

[newfrontiers]

But I don't think it's official. 

CNSA officials must have felt confident that Xi would support their plan But no official announcement so far.

[Steven Pietrobon]

The article says that the New Generation Crewed Rocket (the triple core Falcon Heavy clone with 7 engines on each stage) is also being developed, with first launch in 2025.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Quite disappointed to see this. Their 3 core "Falcon FrankenHeavy" vehicle makes much more sense to me as it would be at least on the road to reusability.

This looks like another megarocket albatross, altough they have the significant advantage of having developed multiple new rockets in the past decade that this one is derived from.

It looks like both will be built with the "921 rocket" you mentioned flying around 2025 and LM-9 around 2030.

[Lars-J]

I don't think this version (or any of the current versions) of the Long March 9 will ever fly. The Chinese certainly *could*, but I doubt they will. They are being as fluid about it and are in no hurry.

I predict that whatever vehicle eventually flies as Long March 9 will be radically different. And it will look much more like New Glenn or Starship than this. But we'll see.

The 921 design is far more likely in the near term.

[PM3]

It looks like both will be built with the "921 rocket" you mentioned flying around 2025 and LM-9 around 2030.

Yep. 921 will be human rated and replace CZ-2F. It will carry the next generation spaceship that China tested last year on a CZ-5.

[shijiav]

I don't think this version (or any of the current versions) of the Long March 9 will ever fly. The Chinese certainly *could*, but I doubt they will. They are being as fluid about it and are in no hurry.

I predict that whatever vehicle eventually flies as Long March 9 will be radically different. And it will look much more like New Glenn or Starship than this. But we'll see.

The 921 design is far more likely in the near term.

Long march 9 project is basically YF-130(RD-170/180 equivalent)+YF-90(RS-25 equivalent)+YF79(RL-10 equivalent)+10 m diameter rocket body, I guess how the rocket look like does not really matter.

[newfrontiers]

[newfrontiers]

YF-130 semi-system test

[otter]

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-03/05/c_139787745.htm

China makes new breakthrough in heavy-lift carrier rocket engine
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-05 20:13:27

BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday successfully conducted a trial run on a 500-tonne-thrust liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene rocket engine, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

It marks a new breakthrough in the country's rocket-engine technologies, and will lay a solid foundation for its follow-up development of the heavy-lift carrier rocket, said the developer.

The new engine, with its design and management fully digitalized, provides three times the thrust of a 120-tonne-thrust LOX kerosene high-pressure staged combustion engine, the CASC said, adding that its comprehensive performance indicators are equal to the best in the world.

[newfrontiers]

[zzabur]

Here are some more pictures.

The first configuration is basically the same as shown before, although the numbers have changed a bit from the first picture to the last one (suggesting gradual refinements in the design?).

The last configuration (CZ-9B) is interesting because it adds two smaller rocket engines to the first stage. The only explanation for this choice I can imagine is propulsive recovery of the first stage. Notably, the proposed CZ-6X also adds two smaller engines for this purpose.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Apparently the plans have changed again...thread: https://twitter.com/Cosmic_Penguin/status/1407961341441175556

(also see the "China to have new rockets" thread)

[Vahe231991]

Apparently the plans have changed again...thread: https://twitter.com/Cosmic_Penguin/status/1407961341441175556

(also see the "China to have new rockets" thread)

How does the estimated amount of thrust to be produced by Long March 9 compare with the SLS, Saturn V, and N1 rockets?

[Steven Pietrobon]

How does the estimated amount of thrust to be produced by Long March 9 compare with the SLS, Saturn V, and N1 rockets?

75.32 MN Starship
57.60 MN CZ-9
41.36 MN N-1
38.37 MN SLS Block I
33.85 MN Saturn V
30.90 MN Space Shuttle

[otter]

https://twitter.com/AJ_FI/status/1420360369533489153

A first engineering prototype of the YF-90 staged combustion cycle 220-ton thrust hydrolox engine for the 2nd stage of the Long March 9 has been completed by CALT and Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/seEq3y1ufUvShhDWKCaEnw

[Hog]

How does the estimated amount of thrust to be produced by Long March 9 compare with the SLS, Saturn V, and N1 rockets?

75.32 MN Starship
57.60 MN CZ-9
41.36 MN N-1
38.37 MN SLS Block I
33.85 MN Saturn V
30.90 MN Space Shuttle

Thanks SP!
For those of us poisoned by the USA metrics of measurements:
16,932,609lbs  thrust/75.32MN Starship
12,948,995/57.60MN CZ-9
9,298,097/41.36MN N-1
8,625,919/38.37MN SLS Block I
7,609,782/33.85MN Saturn V
6,946,596/30.90MN Space Shuttle