rocket return with parachute, first test failed - Corriere.it

The first one didn't go very well reentry test and soft landing of a rocket (booster) via parachute by theChinese space agency, so as to be able to reuse it and reduce the casting costs. The Long March-3B rocketwhich carried a BeiDou space navigation satellite into orbit, was launched last May 17 from the Xichang base, in the province of Sichuan. The reentry of the rocket booster was to take place with a parachute designed by the Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, exactly as the company has been successfully using in the United States for years Space X by Elon Musk.

The experiment

The experiment was designed to reduce the re-entry area in a pre-set location by 80%, but three days ago the Academy had to admit, and released a photo, that not everything went as planned. The booster landed (almost) intact, but ended up in a steep area and crashed.

Return

The guided reentry of rockets is now a necessity for the Chinanot only for cost containment, but also for the protests of Japan, South Korea and some Chinese provinces which have recently seen space debris fall to the ground with considerable risks on the part of the populations.