The Hyperbola-1 (aka Shuang Quxian-1, SQX-1) (Chinese: 双曲线一号) rocket is 20.8 m (68 ft) tall, 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) in diameter and weighs 31 t (34 tons). It consists of four all solid fuel stages, guided by liquid fuel attitude control engines.[1] It can launch 300 kg (660 lb) into low Earth orbit (LEO).[2] The rocket might be based on Chinese military missiles (perhaps DF-11 or DF-15). The first stage of the rocket is equipped with four grid fins.[1] The launch price is reported around US$5 million.[3]
| Function | Launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | i-Space |
| Country of origin | China |
| Cost per launch | US$5 million |
| Size | |
| Height | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Diameter | 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) |
| Mass | 42,000 kg (93,000 lb) |
| Stages | 4 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to Low Earth orbit | |
| Mass | 520 kg (1,150 lb) |
| Payload to SSO | |
| Mass | 300 kg (660 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Comparable | Ceres-1, Minotaur IV |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | JSLC |
| Total launches | 7 |
| Success(es) | 3 |
| Failure(s) | 4 |
| Partial failure(s) | 0 |
| First flight | 25 July 2019 |
| Last flight | 11 July 2024 |
| First stage | |
| Powered by | 1 Solid |
| Maximum thrust | 770 kilonewtons (170,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 56 seconds |
| Propellant | Solid |
| Second stage | |
| Powered by | 1 Solid |
| Maximum thrust | 597 kilonewtons (134,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 60 seconds |
| Propellant | Solid |
| Third stage | |
| Powered by | 1 Solid |
| Maximum thrust | 195 kilonewtons (44,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 56 seconds |
| Propellant | Solid |
| Fourth stage | |
| Powered by | 1 Solid |
| Maximum thrust | 60 kilonewtons (13,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 50 seconds |
| Propellant | Solid |
History
editThe successful maiden flight was on 25 July 2019, at 05:00 UTC from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.[4] It launched from a movable supporting platform.[3] It placed numerous payloads,[5] among them the CAS-7B amateur radio satellite, into orbit 300 km (190 mi) above Earth. CAS-7B decayed from orbit 6 August 2019.[6] It was the first Chinese private company to achieve orbit (orbital launches of other private companies before had failed).[7]
A second launch occurred on 1 February 2021, at 08:15 UTC (16:15 Beijing Time) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center with 6 unidentified satellites but failed to reach orbit.[8] A subsequent investigation revealed that a piece of insulation had broken off and got stuck in the turning mechanism of grid fin Number IV. When the piece was blown away, the control system then suddenly overcompensated, resulting in the rocket being ripped apart by excessive aerodynamic forces.[9] The rocket was named "Tianshu" because its outer fuselage was covered with the artistic creations (images of compound made-up Chinese characters) of the contemporary artist Xu Bing.[8]
iSpace launched a third Hyperbola-1 solid-rocket vehicle on 3 August 2021.[10] SpaceNews was reporting the same day that the outcome of the launch was unknown, but that amateur video of the launch had been posted, but then deleted from Chinese social media.[10] After most of the day had passed, the Chinese official media Xinhua reported that the launch was unsuccessful due to off-nominal performance of the rocket which resulted in a failure to achieve orbit.[11] An official statement released by the company itself the following day clarified that the failure was caused by a malfunctioning in the fairing separation process, that precluded the payload from reaching the target orbit. A fourth launch attempt on May 13, 2022, was unsuccessful as well.[9]
In April 2023, i-Space performed a fifth launch of the Hyperbola-1 which successfully reached orbit without a payload ,[12] and then followed with another launch on 17 December 2023 that placed the DEAR-1 satellite from Chinese company Azspace into a 500 kilometre SSO orbit.[13]
Launches
editThe following table indicates the launches to date:[14][15][16]
| Flight number | Launch vehicle | Serial number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hyperbola-1 | Y1 | 25 July 2019
05:00 |
LS-95A, JSLC | CAS-7B
undisclosed payloads |
LEO | Success |
| 2 | Hyperbola-1 | Y2 | 1 February 2021
08:15 |
LS-95A, JSLC | undisclosed payloads | SSO | Failure |
| 3 | Hyperbola-1 | Y5 | 3 August 2021
07:39 |
LS-95B, JSLC | Jilin-1 Mofang-01A | SSO | Failure |
| 4 | Hyperbola-1 | Y4 | 13 May 2022
07:09 |
LS-95B, JSLC | Jilin-1 Mofang-01A (R) | SSO | Failure |
| 5 | Hyperbola-1 | Y6 | 7 April 2023
04:00 |
LS-95A, JSLC | No payload (Flight test) | SSO | Success |
| 6 | Hyperbola-1 | Y7 | 17 December 2023
07:00 |
LS-95A, JSLC | DEAR-1/Liangxi-1 | SSO | Success |
| 7 | Hyperbola-1 | Y8 | 11 July 2024
07:00 |
LS-95A, JSLC | Yunyao-1 15-17 | SSO | Failure |
| 8 | Hyperbola-1 | Y10 | 2024 | LS-95A, JSLC | TBA | SSO | Planned |
References
edit- ^ a b "星际荣耀". www.i-space.com.cn. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ ""双曲线一号S火箭"首飞成功!星际荣耀近期型谱计划出炉! | 航天爱好者网". 2018-04-08. Archived from the original on 2018-04-08. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ a b "Chinese Private-Sector Company Launches a History-Making Rocket". Engineering.com. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ Huang, Echo (2019-07-25). "A private Chinese space firm successfully launched a rocket into orbit". Quartz. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ Todd, David (2019-07-25). "Chinese commercial launch firm iSpace launches cubesats on its Hyperbola-1 rocket". Seradata. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ "Technical details for satellite CAS 7B". N2YO.com - Real Time Satellite Tracking and Predictions. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ "Chinese private company reaches orbit for first time – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ a b Bergin, Chris (2021-02-01). "Chinese Hyperbola-1 rocket fails during its second launch". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ a b Mooney, Justin (2022-05-13). "Hyperbola-1, China's first privately-owned rocket, fails in 2nd consecutive return to flight mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ a b Jones, Andrew (2021-08-03). "Mystery surrounds Chinese private rocket launch attempt". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ "Flight test of China's commercial carrier rocket fails - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ Jones, Andrew (2023-11-02). "China's iSpace launches and lands rocket test stage". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ "我国成功发射双曲线一号商业运载火箭-新闻-上海证券报·中国证券网". news.cnstock.com. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ "Shuang Quxian-1 (SQX-1, Hyperbola-1)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ "我国成功发射双曲线一号商业运载火箭". Shanghai Securities News. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ "刚刚, "梁溪号"卫星发射升空!". sohu.com. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.