On May 5, the Long March 5B carrier rocket developed for China ’s manned space station project successfully flew for the first time in Wenchang, Hainan, and officially opened China ’s manned Prelude to the “third step” mission of aerospace engineering. Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Guanyu photo

Living the sea to survey the sky, animal husbandry chasing the moon. On May 5, 2020, the Long March 5B carrier rocket carried a new-generation manned spaceship test ship and a flexible inflatable cargo return module test cabin, and was ignited and lifted off at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. Subsequently, the load assembly was successfully separated from the rocket. Entering the scheduled orbit, the first flight mission was a complete success. What are the highlights of this first flight? What breakthroughs has the Long March 5B carrier rocket made? What mission will the new-generation manned spacecraft test ship and return module test module undertake?


Aspect 1: The rocket with the largest carrying capacity in near-Earth orbit in China

Wenchang, Hainan, China is the closest space launch site to the equator. With a loud noise, the golden flame reflected through the sea and sky, and the Long March 5B carrier rocket rose with great force, pointing directly to the sky.

Changzheng-5B is developed based on the Changzheng-5 carrier rocket, with a total length of about 53.7 meters, a core with a diameter of 5 meters, and 4 bundles with a diameter of 3.35 The rice booster has a fairing length of 20.5 meters and a diameter of 5.2 meters. It uses non-toxic and non-polluting liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and kerosene as propellants. Its take-off mass is about 849 tons, and its near-Earth orbit carrying capacity is more than 22 tons. The rocket with the largest carrying capacity in low-Earth orbit was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The Long March 5B and Long March 5 belong to the “family” of the Long March 5 series of launch vehicles. This “family” is also affectionately known as the “Fat Five” due to the large diameter of the rocket core. Although the appearance of Long March 5B and Long March 5 are somewhat similar, there are many differences in the design and use of the two rockets.

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