In-Depth Articles
31 articles
Launch VehiclesZhuque-3’s First Stage Catches Fire and Tips Over After Landing: A Good Start, but the Hard Part Has Just Begun
Zhuque-3's first-stage recovery test ended with the booster catching fire and tipping over after landing. Why this is still an important step for China's reusable rocket program — and what comes next.
Launch VehiclesZhuque-3 Successfully Recovered Today: What Does the Minqin Landing Mean? China’s Reusable Rockets Take a Major Step Forward
Zhuque-3's first stage landed vertically in Minqin, Gansu on August 19, 2026 — China's first orbital-class booster recovery. What it proves and what comes next.
Launch VehiclesChina’s Rocket Failures: From a Culture of Zero-Defect Reliability to the Need for Rapid Iteration
Four decades of Chinese launch failures — from the 1990s crisis to Long March 5 and the 2026 Long March 7A loss — and why the next battle is iteration speed.
Launch VehiclesZhuque-3 vs. Falcon 9: How Close Is China’s Reusable Rocket to SpaceX?
LandSpace's Zhuque-3 sits in Falcon 9's performance class on paper — but the real gap is flight heritage, reuse cadence and operational experience.
Launch VehiclesChina’s Long March 7A Rocket Suffers Apparent Failure During Ascent
Infrared footage of the August 10, 2026 Long March 7A launch appears to show an upper-stage breakup 88 seconds after liftoff, shortly after Max-Q.
Satellite ConstellationsChina's Answer to Starlink: What Launch Data Shows About Guowang and Qianfan Deployment
Launch data shows Starlink flying one deployment mission every three days, while China's Guowang spreads across eight vehicles — and Qianfan barely appears.
Chinese Commercial LaunchThe Complete Map of China's Commercial Rockets (2026)
Every Chinese commercial launch vehicle that has flown, compared on payload and reliability — and where the reusable Zhuque-3 generation is heading.
Rocket PropulsionEvery Chinese Rocket Engine Class, Compared: Which Vehicles Fly Which Propulsion
Mapping China's propulsion families — hypergolic, kerolox, hydrolox, solid and the new methalox engines — to show which ones actually carry the flight rate.
Rocket Engine EvolutionThe F-1: Five Beasts That Powered Saturn V
Five kerosene Rocketdyne F-1s lifted every Saturn V. How its combustion-instability battle was won — and how it compared with the Soviet multi-engine path.
Reusable RocketsFalcon 9 vs. Long March 10B: A Deep-Dive Comparison of Two Reusable Rocket Paradigms
Falcon 9 lands boosters propulsively on drone ships; China's Long March 10B aims to net-catch its first stage at sea — two reusable-rocket paradigms compared.
Launch VehiclesIndia's Launch Vehicles: ISRO's Quiet Rise
ISRO's launch vehicle family — PSLV, GSLV, LVM-3 and SSLV — with per-vehicle success rates, capability comparisons and India's emerging private sector.
Launch VehiclesChina's Long March 7A rocket suffers launch anomaly, investigation underway
A Long March 7A launched from Wenchang on August 10, 2026 suffered an apparent ascent failure — visible fireball and debris. The cause is under investigation.
Rocket EnginesMerlin and Raptor: Thrust-to-Weight Leadership and the Full-Flow Era
How Merlin 1D inherited the NK-33's thrust-to-weight philosophy, and how Raptor's full-flow staged combustion on methane opened a new chapter in engine design.
Space HistoryThe N-1: How the Soviet Moon Rocket Failed — and How Its Engines Ended Up Flying for America
The Soviet N-1 moon rocket flew four times and failed every time — yet its Kuznetsov engines were later sold to America and flew on Antares as the AJ-26.
Launch VehiclesBlue Origin’s New Glenn vs. SpaceX’s Starship: A Comprehensive Comparison of Two Super Heavy Reusable Rockets
Blue Origin's New Glenn vs SpaceX's Starship: parameters, BE-4 vs Raptor propulsion, drone-ship landing vs tower catch, cost and risk — an objective comparison.
Rocket Engine EvolutionFrom RD-107 to RD-170: The Soviet Oxygen-Rich Dynasty
How a four-chamber fix for 1950s combustion instability grew into the RD-170 dynasty, whose oxygen-rich derivatives still fly on Russian and American rockets.
Rocket Engine EvolutionRS-25: The Hydrolox Masterpiece and Its Price
The RS-25 is the most sophisticated hydrogen engine ever flown — and one of the priciest. How the Shuttle main engine pushed staged combustion to its limits.
Rocket Engine EvolutionYF-100 and Lanyan: China Joins the Kerolox–Methalox Race
Two tracks for China's propulsion: the state YF-100 kerolox family behind the Long March fleet, and LandSpace's Lanyan full-flow methalox engine.
European SpaceFrance in Space: From de Gaulle's Independence Doctrine to Ariane 6
From de Gaulle's independence decree to Ariane 6: how France built Europe's space program — CNES, Diamant, ESA, the Vulcain engines and the Kourou spaceport.
Super Heavy RocketsThe Four Titans: Saturn V vs. Soviet N1 vs. SpaceX Starship vs. Long March 9
Saturn V vs N1 vs Starship vs Long March 9: a data-based comparison of the four most ambitious super heavy-lift rockets ever designed.
US-China ComparisonThe New Moon Race: Artemis vs. China's Two-Rocket Plan
Fifty-four years after Apollo 17, the US flew a crewed lunar flyby in April 2026 while China builds a two-rocket crewed landing planned for before 2030.
Rocket EnginesFrom the V-2 to Raptor: A Century of Rocket Engine Evolution
A Saturn V F-1 turbopump made 55,000 horsepower just to feed its chamber. From the V-2 to Raptor's full-flow staged combustion — a century of engine evolution.
Rocket EnginesFrom Turbine to Detonation: The Race for Combined-Cycle Propulsion
At Mach 3 the SR-71's J58 turned from turbojet into partial ramjet. Rotating detonation and precooled combined cycles now chase the same dream: runway to orbit.
Lunar ExplorationUS vs China Moon Missions: From Unmanned Probes to Crewed Landings
America's Apollo and Artemis meet China's Chang'e program — both countries' lunar records and crewed landing plans compared on a side-by-side timeline.
Satellite ConstellationsUS vs China Satellite Constellations: Starlink vs GW and Qianfan (2026)
Starlink passed 6,500 satellites by 2026; China answers with the state-run GW network and Shanghai-backed Qianfan (G60). Scale, launch and cost compared.
China vs IndiaIndia vs China in Space: Rockets, Missions, and Two Different Strategies (2026)
China runs a fully state-funded space program; ISRO delivers headline missions on a tiny budget — the two powers' rockets, flagship missions and plans compared.
Hypersonic SpaceflightHypersonic Spaceflight: SR-72, Invictus, and China's Tengyun Compared
The US SR-72, UK-led Invictus and China's Tengyun take three different propulsion paths to a Mach 5 spaceplane — designs, status and hurdles compared.
Space TourismSpace Tourism Race: A New Frontier for US, China, and European Commercial Space
Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic already fly space tourists commercially, while Chinese firms like Zhongke and Deep Blue Aerospace race toward a 2027-2028 debut.
Rocket RecoveryLong March 10B Rocket Recovery: A Milestone Breakthrough for China's Commercial Space
On July 10, 2026, Long March 10B completed China's first controlled first-stage recovery using a sea-based net, a milestone for Chinese reusable rockets.
Mars ExplorationMars Exploration Programs: Perseverance vs Tianwen-1
NASA's Perseverance rover against China's Tianwen-1, which orbited, landed and roved in one mission — two different approaches to Mars exploration compared.
Reusable RocketsUS vs China Reusable Rocket Comparison: Falcon 9 vs Long March 8 & Zhuque 2
Comparing the technical approaches, recovery methods and commercial progress of three reusable rockets: SpaceX's Falcon 9, China's Long March 8 and Zhuque 2.
Launch Vehicles
Launch VehiclesZhuque-3’s First Stage Catches Fire and Tips Over After Landing: A Good Start, but the Hard Part Has Just Begun
Launch VehiclesZhuque-3 Successfully Recovered Today: What Does the Minqin Landing Mean? China’s Reusable Rockets Take a Major Step Forward
Launch VehiclesChina’s Rocket Failures: From a Culture of Zero-Defect Reliability to the Need for Rapid Iteration
Launch VehiclesZhuque-3 vs. Falcon 9: How Close Is China’s Reusable Rocket to SpaceX?
Launch VehiclesChina’s Long March 7A Rocket Suffers Apparent Failure During Ascent
Launch VehiclesIndia's Launch Vehicles: ISRO's Quiet Rise
Launch VehiclesChina's Long March 7A rocket suffers launch anomaly, investigation underway
Launch VehiclesBlue Origin’s New Glenn vs. SpaceX’s Starship: A Comprehensive Comparison of Two Super Heavy Reusable Rockets
Satellite Constellations
Chinese Commercial Launch
Rocket Propulsion
Rocket Engine Evolution
Rocket Engine EvolutionThe F-1: Five Beasts That Powered Saturn V
Rocket Engine EvolutionFrom RD-107 to RD-170: The Soviet Oxygen-Rich Dynasty
Rocket Engine EvolutionRS-25: The Hydrolox Masterpiece and Its Price
Rocket Engine EvolutionYF-100 and Lanyan: China Joins the Kerolox–Methalox Race
Reusable Rockets
Rocket Engines
Rocket EnginesMerlin and Raptor: Thrust-to-Weight Leadership and the Full-Flow Era
Rocket EnginesFrom the V-2 to Raptor: A Century of Rocket Engine Evolution
Rocket Engines