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Launch of Long March 11长征十一号运载火箭再传佳音导读:5月30日凌晨,一声巨响打破了西昌山谷中的宁静,长征十一号固体运载火箭呼啸而出,直刺苍穹,以“一箭双星”的方式成功将2颗新技术试验卫星送入预定轨道。
Long March 11 launches from the Xichang Satellite Center in Sichuan province on May 30. XINHUA Among all the Long March rockets, Long March 11 is, without question, the star. It’s the first and only solid-fuel rocket in the Long March family. It’s also the first rocket in China that has completed a seaborne mission – from the Yellow Sea in June 2019. And now its successful launch on May 30 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province has, again, set new records. It was the first time that the Long March 11 had been launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Among its previous eight launches, seven were from Gansu’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and one from the sea. The latest success “has proven its adaptability to different launch sites”, Peng Kunya, the chief designer of the rocket, told Xinhua News Agency. A new launch platform was also used in the mission, which helped the rocket better adapt to the new environment. According to Guangming News, the new platform is highly integrated and intelligent, allowing the preparation time of the launch to be significantly reduced. China’s capability to launch rockets in a short time has “reached a new level”, Jin Xin, deputy commander-in-chief of the Long March 11 mission, said in a press conference. The mission also marked the first use of a 2-meter-diameter fairing on the Long March 11. A fairing is the structure outside of a rocket that is able to streamline the rocket and reduce drag. It’s also what “wraps” satellites, protecting them from the increasing pressure and heat when a rocket travels through the atmosphere. A 1.6-meter-diameter fairing was previously used on Long March 11. But this time, two satellites – tasked with conducting inter-satellite data link and Earth observation tests – were onboard the rocket, requiring a wider fairing. “A fairing measuring 2 meters in diameter leaves more space for satellites,” added Jin. Long March 11 has indeed proven itself as “the most adaptable carrier rocket in China”, according to Xinhua. But designers didn’t stop there. In fact, they have begun to develop an upgraded version of the Long March 11 – called the Long March 11A – which will be even wider, taller and have greater thrust. The new model is expected to make its maiden flight around 2022.
21英语网站版权说明 (Translator & Editor: Wang Xingwei AND Ji Yuan)
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