China's commercial rocket SD-3 to make maiden flight in 2022

According to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a four-stage solid-propellant rocket, the SD-3 will be the largest with the highest carrying capacity among the Dragon series.

Beijing:Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3), the third member of China's Dragon series commercial carrier rocket family, will make its maiden flight in 2022.

With a maximum diameter of 2.64 meters and a takeoff weight of 140 tonnes, the rocket is capable of sending a payload of 1.5 tonnes to the solar synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 km.

Read:|China successfully launches country's largest carrier rocket

To meet the large-scale commercial launch demands, the rocket's multi-satellite launch capability enables it to carry more than 20 satellites in a single mission, while the cost is just 10,000 U.S. dollars per kg, making it competitive in the market, reports Xinhua news agency.

The rocket maker said the SD-3 was designed for both land and sea launches.

Read:|China's lunar rover travels 652.62 meters on moon's far side

China's Dragon series rockets were launched in 2019 for the commercial space launch market. The first-generation rocket SD-1 made its maiden flight in August 2019, and it is scheduled to conduct two to three launches this year.

IANS

Read:|China's Chang'e-5 retrieves 1,731 grams of moon samples