China is working on a retractable two-stage launch system that is similar to the Starship reusable transport system. Elon Musk’s twin will be able to carry up to 20 tons of payload, informs space news.
The project of the new system was presented by Wang Xiaojun, president of the China Rocketry Research Institute. The first stage will land vertically, and the wings will provide the descent of the second. Before landing, the second stage is also deployed for a vertical landing.
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“We are conducting research on a manned launch system using liquid methane and oxygen,” Wang said at the International Symposium on Prospects and Cooperation in Manned Space Flight in Low Earth Orbit, which was held on Feb. 17 in Beijing.
Wang said the Chinese rocket could deliver up to 20 tons of payload to low Earth orbit. At the same time, SpaceX’s super-heavy rocket will be able to take on board up to 100 tons. The publication notes that such a difference is caused by the gas-generating engine of the Chinese rocket.
In February, it became known that SpaceX will launch a tourist into outer space for the first time. As part of the Polaris program, groups of tourists will be sent into space on Crew Dragon ships and the Starship transport system.
Earlier in the month, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced his readiness to advance cooperation with Russia in the field of space exploration.
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