On December 7, 2022, the "Kuaizhou-11" Yao-2 carrier rocket was successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center with the Xingyun Traffic VDES test satellite, realizing the first successful launch of the rocket. In 1 year and 5 months, "Kuaizhou 11" will go to space again.
It is expected that at about 12 o'clock on May 21, 2024, the "Kuaizhou-11" Yao-3 carrier rocket will be launched from the 95A station of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to put the satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit. This will be the first launch of Kuaizhou-11 this year.
Kuaizhou-11 (KZ-11) is a medium-sized solid launch vehicle with a four-stage tandem configuration, with the first, second and third stages using solid power, and the fourth stage using liquid power. The arrow is 25 meters high, 2.2 meters in diameter, optional 2.2 meters in diameter and 3.2 meters in diameter two specifications of fairing, take-off mass of 78 tons, take-off thrust of 180 tons, its low earth orbit (LEO) capacity of 1.5 tons, load factor of 1.92%, 700 kilometers of sun-synchronous orbit capacity of 1 ton, load factor of 1.28%.
Among the world's active solid launch vehicles, the "Kuaizhou-11" has a very high load factor, thanks to the new rocket body structural materials and advanced liquid upper stage. The arrow adopts a lightweight design, and the carbon fiber composite material accounts for 94% of the structural mass, and the structural coefficient is low. At the same time, the rocket is equipped with a relatively excellent liquid upper stage and a high specific impulse of the engine, which jointly promotes the "Kuaizhou 11" to have a carrying efficiency comparable to that of a liquid rocket.
This launch will be the third launch mission of Kuaizhou-11. Since its first flight (failure) on July 10, 2020, Kuaizhou-11 has carried out a total of 2 launches, with a success rate of 50%.
Author: Mulan Xingzhou