ZQ-3: China test fires its first reusable heavy rocket

Good news! Competition is good, more competition is better!

"... The latest tests from October 18 to 20 included a full-scale propellant rehearsal and a static-fire test, marking the XQ-3's entry into final flight preparation, with the first flight slated for November or December 2025.

The ZQ-3 is a two-stage launcher that lifts off vertically and the first stage lands vertically. Standing about 216 ft (66 m) tall with a core diameter of 15 ft (4.5 m), it's very similar to Falcon 9, though with methane fuel instead of kerosene for the first stage, and is made of stainless steel rather than aluminum/lithium alloy. Though only slightly smaller than Falcon 9, its reported orbital payload is only about half of the American launcher. ..."

ZQ-3: China’s SpaceX Rival Completes First Static Fire "China showed off its ambitions for space in the 21st century as its first reusable heavy booster, the ZhuQue-3 (ZQ-3) Y1 from the Landspace company, conducted its first static firing at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China."

European militaries rush to catch up on space traffic mapping

The militarisation of the so called last frontier goes on!

It was President Trump, who created the U.S. Space Force in 2019 and it began already under President Reagan.

"The boom in space activity of the past few years has made Earth’s orbit more crowded and dynamic, and Western militaries need to step up space awareness to counter growing threats in the domain, defense officials and space company executives said.

Commercial use of space now dwarfs the military, with thousands of new satellites joining potential menaces such as Russia’s roving Luch Olymp inspector satellite. ...

In response, France’s Safran is adding ground stations to track satellite radio emissions, German firm Vyoma expects to launch its first telescope into low Earth orbit next year for visual reconnaissance, while Colorado-based True Anomaly in April won a U.S. Space Force contract for a maneuvering satellite that can take a close look at potential adversaries in various orbits. ..."

European militaries rush to catch up on space traffic mapping

Palm-sized satellites, 3D-printed rockets herald new era in space

Recommendable! Amazing stuff! Next step garbage collection in space!

"It is expected that more than 20,000 satellites for observation and communication will be launched into space within the next 10 years. A total of about 30,000 satellites, including those currently in operation, will fly above the Earth, and this is expected to revolutionize life on the ground through the use of satellite data. ...

Since successfully putting its first satellite into orbit in 2018, Rocket Lab  has successfully launched 29 times as of December 2022 and sent more than 150 satellites into space. ...There were many rockets in the process of being manufactured in the factory in Auckland, northern New Zealand. They were the company's Electron model, a small rocket for launching small satellites. The company finishes about one rocket per month. ...

With an overall length of about 18 meters and a diameter of about 1.2 meters, it is about a quarter the size of the current model of the Falcon 9 rocket (70 meters in length) of Elon Musk's SpaceX.

The cost of launching a small satellite, previously about $50 million, has been reduced to about $7.5 million. This is a major boost to space development by the private sector. Launched into Low Earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 2,000 kilometers or less, the Electron can carry satellites weighing up to 300 kilograms. When fully fueled before takeoff, the total weight of the rocket is about 13 tons.

Nine engines are built into the first stage of the rocket. Rocket Lab develops and manufactures its Rutherford engines, which are key components, in-house at its U.S. base.

In a world first, the company utilizes 3D printing for all major parts of the engines installed in the Electron, including the combustion chamber and pumps. In this way, it has achieved a complex and lightweight structure that was difficult to attain with conventional manufacturing technology."

Palm-sized satellites, 3D-printed rockets herald new era in space - Nikkei Asia Number of satellites to triple to 30,000 -- and change life on the ground

From the Electron rocket:

ISRO Rocket Launch | Oneweb: Joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and UK government

India, the up and coming super power! It is fast becoming a global player in the market for commercial space launches and it is successful!

Very few countries have the capability!

China's Zhurong Mars rover successfully touches down on the red planet

One of the oldest, continuously existing, and most advanced civilizations is achieving what most other countries can only dream of!
This is a momentous watershed event for human history!

Next, how do we help the Chinese people to rid themselves of the Communist Party dictatorship? For the Soviet Union to disappear it took a President Reagan, a Prime Minister Thatcher, a Pope John Paul II, and Solidarnosc in Poland. The cognitively impaired 46th President of the U.S. is no match, neither is any other current Western leader!

China's Zhurong Mars rover touches down on the red planet After a historic landing on Mars, the Zhurong rover is ready to search for signs of water and life.

The New SPACE RACE

Recommendable! Far too long governments dominated space exploration!  Had the private sector got involved in the space race decades earlier, humanity would have advanced much more! The private sector is cheaper, better, and much faster in developing innovations etc.!