22 satellites in one rocket! Long March 8 opens a new model of shared rocket "carpooling"

On the 27th, the "shared rocket" - the Long March 8 Yao 2 carrier rocket, which carried 22 satellites successfully "into space" at the Wenchang Space Launch Center, set a record for my country's highest multi-satellite mission with one rocket, thus opening up a new shared rocket "carpooling" model in my country.

Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Liyun

How do the Rockets achieve multiple goals at one stroke?

At 11:06 on February 27, the Long March 8 Yao 2 carrier rocket took off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China, and then sent 22 satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit about 500 kilometers high, also breaking the record for the shortest launch interval of a Long March rocket.

The Long March 8 Yao 2 carrier rocket is my country's new generation of main medium-sized carrier rocket. It fills the capacity gap of 3 tons to 4.5 tons in my country's sun-synchronous orbit carrying capacity, and can undertake more than 80% of medium and low-orbit launch missions.

This time, the Long March 8 Yao 2 carrier rocket adopted a new configuration without boosters based on the Long March 8 Yao 1 carrier rocket. It is a type of rocket specially built to meet future market needs.

Hu Huibiao, director of the Long March 8 carrier rocket project office of the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, introduced that from the appearance, the Long March 8 Yao 2 carrier rocket lacks two boosters, but its bare-barreled carrying capacity reaches 3 tons, and the 22 satellites in total weigh less than 2 tons, which fully meets the payload requirements.

If you look closely, you will find that the Long March 8 Yao 2 carrier rocket has a shorter fairing. Chen Xiaofei, deputy chief designer of the Long March 8 carrier rocket of the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said that the short fairing design fully matches the size of the satellite for this mission, and can also relax the launch conditions of the rocket and increase the probability of the rocket's launch.

This flight test carried 22 commercial satellites, including Hainan-1 01 and 02, Dayun (Star Era-17) satellite, Wenchang-1 01 and 02, and Taijing-3 01.

"Multiple small satellites 'carpooling' to complete the mission can not only give full play to the rocket's capabilities, but also effectively meet market demand," said Xiao Yun.

Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Liyun

How do satellites “carpool”?

22 satellites in one launch, how can the "carpooling" satellites squeeze into the fairing? Chen Xiaofei introduced that in order to ensure the safety and accuracy of multi-satellite launch, the design team developed a "three-layer multi-satellite distributor" to adjust the traditional "large single room" to a "small three-bedroom".

"Since each satellite has a different shape and some are larger in size, we provided three layers of 'seats' for the 'passengers' during the design, perfectly fitting the 22 satellites into the fairing and arranging comfortable 'seats'," said Chen Xiaofei.

"Generally speaking, it takes at least a year for a new structure to go from drawing to production. Through 'modular' design, we produced a multi-satellite distributor in less than half a year," said Yu Long, deputy chief designer of the Long March 8 carrier rocket at the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The development team not only had to get the satellite on board smoothly and put it into the fairing, but also had to ensure the safety of the satellite's separation in different directions. Yu Long said that after the satellite reaches the sky, it has to leave the rocket body. In this process, it is necessary to consider the motion deviation caused by different satellite unlocking methods and separation energy. Sometimes these deviations will reduce the distance between satellites and threaten the safety of the rocket body.

Based on the satellite layout, the research and development team conducted multiple rounds of simulation calculations on all rocket bodies and satellite deviations, and designed 12 separation actions to ensure that the 22 satellites could "get off" safely.

"When the satellite and rocket separated for this mission, the rocket performed a 'space ballet' and the 22 satellites were released like 'flowers from heaven'," said Duan Baocheng, deputy chief commander of the Long March 8 carrier rocket of the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

Photo by Hu Lanyue

Source: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

What is the future prospect of the “one-to-many” rocket?

It is foreseeable that the demand for human beings to enter space and build space infrastructure will become increasingly greater in the future. Therefore, changing the launch site process and shortening the rocket development cycle and cost have become urgent needs for many major space powers.

Hu Huibiao said that the successful launch of the rocket not only tested the coordination and matching of the new configuration, but also reduced the development cost and cycle. It can also accumulate experience for the Long March 8 carrier rocket, promote the model to maturity, lay a solid foundation for subsequent entry into the main battlefield of space launch, and consolidate the Long March 8 carrier rocket's initiative and dominance in the commercial aerospace field.

"As a 'shared rocket', the 'carpooling' solution adopted by the Long March 8 Yao 2 carrier rocket provides users with economical and affordable launch services, which greatly lowers the threshold." Xiao Yun said that with this successful exploration, the Long March 8 carrier rocket is expected to achieve the normalization of shared launches in the future.

Building a general assembly and test plant near the launch site, combining the launch site test and factory test into one, can save a series of steps and greatly shorten the rocket's launch site cycle. Xiao Yun introduced that the construction of the Hainan general assembly and test plant has begun, and the launch station is also in the process of demonstration. By then, it is expected to achieve a launch of the Long March 8 carrier rocket every 7 days, and 50 launches a year.

The road to pursuing dreams is long and arduous, and the road to innovation is endless. The Chang-8 rocket design team challenges itself, protects the star with sincerity, and sends the star with innovation, creating brilliance again.

Comprehensive sources: Xinhuanet, Science and Technology Daily, China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, China Aerospace News, etc.