Why do rockets need to take a ship to the launch site? What kind of ships do rockets from different countries take?

Why do rockets need to be transported by ship? What are the benefits of doing so? In the space industry of various countries, what are some classic rocket transport ships that "work hard without complaint"?

Arianespace's new rocket-dedicated transport ship is called "Canoe"

The rocket ride is very comfortable

Ideally, rocket manufacturers should be close to launch sites, and it would be best if rockets could be launched as soon as they leave the factory. Unfortunately, the actual situation is often very complicated. After all, rockets are complex industrial products that involve many industries and manufacturers, and it is difficult to concentrate the manufacturing and assembly of rocket components in one place. In addition, talent and industrial clusters are the first choice for developing the rocket manufacturing industry, but such places are often located near large cities, making it difficult to meet the environmental, climatic, and safety conditions for building rocket launch sites. In reality, the places where rockets are manufactured and launched are often far apart, and it is not uncommon to cross continents and oceans.

If the launch site is close to the ocean, the rocket can be transported by ship, thus avoiding the size restrictions of the rocket by rail and culverts, and eliminating some hidden dangers during land transportation. When boarding the ship, the rocket can be relatively intact in the transport packaging box, which has relatively complete anti-collision and vibration reduction measures, is often filled with inert gas, and has constant temperature and humidity control conditions to prevent fire hazards and abnormalities of precision parts.

Some people may think that transporting rockets by plane is faster and more efficient, but this comes at a price. On the one hand, the cost of using an airplane is generally much higher than that of a ship, especially in commercial space launch missions where every penny counts, and it is a cost that cannot be ignored. On the other hand, the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft cannot be modified at will, and the shape and size of the cargo hold of the fuselage may conflict with the rocket transport packaging box. Sometimes the aircraft must be specially modified, which not only increases the cost, but also weakens the safety of the aircraft and its adaptability to airports.

Rocket shipping crates are hoisted from a ship

Chinese ships: Part-time and dedicated ships in parallel

The concept of rocket transport ships is relatively broad, so it may be helpful to divide them into more detailed categories: "part-time ships that can transport rocket parts" and "dedicated ships that specifically transport rocket parts."

The former can transport goods between various ports on inland rivers and oceans, such as the French FERRYMAR rocket transport ro-ro ship mentioned above. There are also large transport ships such as "Xuyang 15", "Xuyang 16" and "Chang Fushun" in my country, which have transported Long March 5 series and Long March 7 series rockets to Wenchang, Hainan many times. These transport ships have large deck areas and large cargo hold volumes to ensure that under suitable sea conditions, there will be no roll or rolling phenomena that exceed the safety requirements of rockets.

The Chang Fu Shun cargo ship transports rocket parts

With the development of the space industry, "part-time" rocket transport ships are gradually unable to meet the needs of space powers. Including my country, countries that need to transport rocket parts across the sea generally build or import special ships. They can better ensure the safety and good condition of rocket parts, especially for the transportation of some special rocket parts.

At present, my country has two special transport ships for rocket parts, namely "Yuanwang 21" and "Yuanwang 22", with the same basic parameters and the home port is the port of China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Control Department. It can be said that these two ships are specially designed and built to transport rockets (especially Long March 5 series rockets) to the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan.

According to public information, the transport container of the Long March 5 rocket is more than 30 meters long, making it difficult for ordinary transport ships to perform the transportation mission safely and reliably. To this end, the full load displacement of "Yuanwang 21" and "Yuanwang 22" is about 9,080 tons, with a design length of 130 meters, a width of 19 meters, a depth of 12 meters, and a draft of about 5.8 meters. Environmental protection equipment is specially equipped for rocket components to prevent the rocket from being adversely affected by marine salt spray and air humidity. Since 2013, after joining the "Yuanwang" family of China's Satellite Maritime Tracking and Control Department, these two transport ships have been reliably fulfilling the mission of receiving various types of rocket components from the port and transporting them to Wenchang, Hainan.

"Yuanwang 21" and "Yuanwang 22" transport rocket parts

American ships: From state-owned to privately owned

The space launch sites of the U.S. Space Force and NASA are both located in the U.S., but the construction of railways and roads in the United States was relatively early, and due to political and environmental factors, there are relatively strict restrictions on cargo height and weight. Some large and heavy rocket parts rely on special rocket transport ships. In addition, inland industrial cities in the United States are often surrounded by well-developed water systems, which provides the necessary conditions for rocket transport ships to perform their missions.

As early as the Apollo Project, in order to transport the Saturn 1 rocket components manufactured by the Marshall Space Flight Center to the Cape Canaveral base for launch, NASA decided to use barges to load large rocket components, first sailing along the Tennessee River, Ohio River and Mississippi River, then crossing the Gulf of Mexico, heading north from the Atlantic coast, and finally arriving at the Cape Canaveral Port.

To this end, NASA purchased a US Navy cargo ship from World War II, quickly completed the modification and renamed it "Compromise". The ship departed from the dock of the Marshall Space Flight Center on August 5, 1961, carefully passed the Wheeler Dam damaged by a construction accident, and delivered the rocket parts to Cape Canaveral Port 10 days later. On October 27, the first Saturn 1 rocket was launched, verifying the rocket's structure and aerodynamic performance, ensuring that the "Apollo Project" took a solid step forward.

USS Compromise rocket carrier

The 1960s and 1970s were the peak period of the development of the US space program. NASA's "Orion", "Poseidon", "Pearl River", "Paramon", "Little Lake", "Promise" and the US Navy's "Barrow" and other ships were always busy transporting rocket parts such as Saturn 1 and Saturn 5, traveling between the Michoud Assembly Center, Stennis Space Center, Kennedy Space Center and other places, making great contributions to the early achievements of the US space program. In the era of the space shuttle, they were still involved in the transportation of a large number of rocket parts.

NASA's rocket carriers have now retired

In order to recover the solid boosters of the space shuttle, NASA purchased two tugboats, named "Democracy Star" and "Freedom Star". After the space shuttle takes off, the two ships must quickly rush to the sea area where the solid boosters are expected to fall and tow them back to the port in time. In the 21st century, the two ships are also responsible for towing the Pegasus rocket parts transport ship. With the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011, the two ships were no longer useful and retired in 2012. At present, the "Pegasus" is NASA's only active rocket parts transport ship, 94.4 meters long, 15.2 meters wide, and the cargo hold size is 73.15 meters × 10.97 meters × 12.49 meters. The ship was specially designed and built in 1999. Its early use was to transport large storage tanks of the space shuttle from the Louisiana coast to the Kennedy Space Center. Each mission took 7 to 10 days to sail. After the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011, the "Pegasus" was idle at the Stennis Space Center for a time. It wasn't until 2014 that NASA awarded the shipyard an $8.5 million contract to refurbish the Pegasus in order to transport the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) heavy rocket to help Americans "return to the moon."

Pegasus transport ship delivers space shuttle tank

The lengthening and equipment modification of the ship was basically completed in 2015. In 2017, the ship was loaded with the simulated core stage of the SLS rocket and carried out its first voyage after the modification. Before the first flight of the SLS rocket on November 16, 2022, the ignition test of its core stage at the Stennis Space Center relied on the Pegasus to travel around. It should be noted that the ship is equipped with living facilities such as staff dormitories, but has no power system and must be towed by a tugboat.

Tugboat towing the Pegasus rocket carrier

The United States' private aerospace giant also has a rocket carrier with excellent performance. The United Launch Alliance's "Delta Mariner" was commissioned in 2000. It is 95.3 meters long, 25 meters wide, and 15.2 meters high. The support facilities can accommodate 16 crew members, and there is a helicopter pad on the top deck.

Since its commissioning, the ship has been transporting parts of the Delta IV series, Atlas V series, and Vulcan-Centaur rockets from the Alabama factory to the Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida and the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Each mission can carry up to three 49-meter-long common core stages of the heavy Delta IV rocket, and deliver all the rocket parts to the port near the launch site at one time. Unlike the Pegasus, this ship is equipped with a power system and can enter the Gulf of Mexico from the factory along the US inland rivers. It takes about three weeks to carry out the mission to the Vandenberg Space Force Base.

In 2019, the ship was adapted to transport the Vulcan-Centaur rocket and renamed "Rocket Ship", which can be said to have made a great contribution to the successful first flight of this new rocket in 2024. However, the United Launch Alliance is about to be acquired by Blue Origin, and the Vulcan-Centaur rocket may be retired early, and the fate of the "Rocket Ship" is difficult to predict for the time being.

Rocket Ship Serves United Launch Alliance

In addition, SpaceX frequently recovers the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket by landing it on a ship at sea, and then uses a barge to transport it back to the port. Such barges are regarded by the outside world as special rocket transport ships. Although the voyage is short, they must also pay attention to controlling stability to avoid failure in the recovery work.

The first-stage recovery of the Falcon 9 rocket failed due to the instability of the barge

European ships: new ideas are ingenious

ESA member states have a great demand for rocket transport ships, mainly because their home latitudes are high and there is a lack of suitable locations for building space launch sites. Ultimately, French Guiana was selected, which faces the empty Atlantic Ocean and is very close to the equator, so that rockets can "borrow force" from the Earth's rotation and more efficiently launch payloads into low-inclination orbits.

Although the Kourou Space Launch Center in French Guiana was put into use as early as 1970, for a long time, ESA member states did not have dedicated rocket transport ships. It was not until the late 1990s that the Ariane 5 rocket took the lead and the requirements for transportation tools were higher, prompting Arianespace to fund the construction of two dedicated rocket transport ships, which were operated by MN and named "Hummingbird" and "Toucan" respectively.

Hummingbird is one of the first dedicated rocket transport ships used by ESA member states

For a long time, these two ships have been mainly responsible for transporting parts of Ariane 5 rockets, Vega series rockets and Russian-made Soyuz rockets to the port of French Guiana for preparation and launch. However, with the dramatic changes in the international situation in 2022, ESA no longer uses Russian-made rockets. In 2023, the Ariane 5 rocket was retired, and the Vega series rockets have been unable to complete troubleshooting and return to zero. Various reasons have forced the "Hummingbird" and "Toucan" to be fully put into the commercial market in recent years, which indirectly reflects the embarrassment of the European rocket manufacturing industry.

In the eyes of the outside world, the ESA's space launch business, which is in a "transition period", does not need to use professional rocket transport ships. The FERRYMAR rocket transport ro-ro ship built in China can meet its needs. The ship is 120 meters long and 22 meters wide. It can transport Ariane 6 rocket parts that are expected to make their first flight in 2024, as well as general cargo such as cars.

The French FERRYMAR rocket transport ro-ro ship is made in China

However, in December 2022, a rocket transport ship called "Canoe" was publicly tested and will travel from Europe to French Guiana in 2023, attracting attention from the outside world. The ship was started in Poland in 2020 and the construction work was hosted by the Dutch Neptune Maritime Company. The designer has a good reputation in the fields of rowing and other fields, which created the unique appearance of the "Canoe".

Trial sailing of the canoe

In terms of size, the Canoe is not unusual for a transport ship that needs to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. It is 121 meters long, 22 meters wide, and displaces about 10,000 tons. However, the Canoe will impress almost anyone who sees it, mainly due to the huge sails installed on its deck.

These retractable sails were invented by the French company AYRO and named "Ocean Sails". Each sail is about 37 meters high and the total area of ​​the four sails is close to 1,500 square meters. According to the design, each sail can rotate 360 ​​degrees and adjust the state of the sail surface. With the help of an intelligent control system, the attitude can be automatically adjusted according to the wind conditions to obtain the maximum thrust, which is much more efficient than traditional sails.

Looking down at the sails and deck of the "Canoe"

Sail drive undoubtedly caters to the environmental protection concept that Europe has vigorously promoted in recent years. The "Canoe" is expected to save up to 50% of diesel consumption, and the fuel consumption in normal cruising state will also be reduced by about 30%. The reason for emphasizing diesel is that the "Canoe" has not "carried out" green energy conservation "to the end". It is also equipped with two diesel engines. It is likely to be the world's first diesel-sail hybrid transport ship. It is said that the ship can travel long distances at a speed of 16.5 knots while transporting nearly 5,000 tons of cargo. According to the plan, the ship will be able to travel back and forth between Europe and French Guiana 11 times a year, stopping at multiple ports each time, and the entire voyage will take nearly 1 month.

Arianespace lacks experience in using this type of rocket transport ship with a novel power source, so the "Canoe" is operated by another merchant shipping company. Whether it can perform its core mission and reap the expected economic benefits has attracted the attention of its peers around the world.

With the booming development of the aerospace industry

In fact, there is no essential difference between rocket transport ships and other means of transportation such as trains, trucks, and airplanes. It’s just that water transport has fewer restrictions on the size of goods, and the transportation costs are often much cheaper. As a result, even though aviation and railways are so developed, water transport is still the core mode of transportation for bulk goods in the world. This is especially important for the space launch industry that is located near ports at lower latitudes.

The development history of rocket transport ships in the United States and Europe shows that their scale, technical level and design plans are closely related to the development trend of the aerospace industry.

According to public news reports, in order to meet the growing demand for space launches, my country's space infrastructure in Wenchang, Hainan Province is still expanding, and the assembly plant and launch stations serving the current and new rockets are under construction in full swing. At the same time, there are more and more sea rocket launch missions around my country, and large-scale aerospace industry clusters are gradually forming near relevant ports, and the demand for the transportation of rocket parts and logistical materials is also increasing.

All the above signs indicate that my country's rocket launch missions will increasingly use the ocean and ports, and will inevitably put forward higher requirements for the load capacity, cargo size, comprehensive benefits and other indicators of rocket transport ships. New ship types, new power and new technologies are expected to continue to be applied to rocket transport ships. Looking forward to the future, the aerospace industry and the shipbuilding industry will join forces to support more rockets to fly more frequently, deploy more satellites that serve the national economy and people's livelihood, explore more distant deep space, and achieve the grand goals of Chinese people landing on the moon and Mars.

my country will have more and more rockets transported and launched at sea