Uploaded November 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Numerous government-supported and private launch providers are in the market today, and from a cost perspective, the current leader is SpaceX. Reusability of their Falcon program boosters—combined with a captive market through Elon Musk’s other company, Starlink—gives SpaceX lower operating costs and a guaranteed launch cadence to amortize fixed costs over time. Reusability is the key, and other launch providers intend to do the same.
On November 2nd, China’s iSpace launched and landed their Hyperbola-2 test stage in a successful hop that demonstrated the company’s throttleable engine technology and precision landing capability.
Current efforts are focused on the much larger Hyperbola-3, which will be developed in both expendable and recoverable versions. The Hyperbola-3 is designed to lift 8 ½ tons into low Earth orbit in recoverable form, and as much as 13 tons when expended. The rocket will use liquid engines, powered by liquid oxygen and methane.
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STEM GAMES:
Play some fun engineering-based STEM games on engineering.com:
engineering.com/resources/games
* * *
ENGINEERING.COM TV:
Watch in-depth engineering videos made for the engineering professional and found exclusively on engineering.com TV:
For the Design Engineer: engineering.com/viewAll?category=designing-the-future
For the Manufacturing Engineer: engineering.com/viewAll?category=manufacturing-the-future
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#iSpace #SpaceX #reusablerockets
Numerous government-supported and private launch providers are in the market today, and from a cost perspective, the current leader is SpaceX. Reusability of their Falcon program boosters—combined with a captive market through Elon Musk’s other company, Starlink—gives SpaceX lower operating costs and a guaranteed launch cadence to amortize fixed costs over time. Reusability is the key, and other launch providers intend to do the same.
On November 2nd, China’s iSpace launched and landed their Hyperbola-2 test stage in a successful hop that demonstrated the company’s throttleable engine technology and precision landing capability.
Current efforts are focused on the much larger Hyperbola-3, which will be developed in both expendable and recoverable versions. The Hyperbola-3 is designed to lift 8 ½ tons into low Earth orbit in recoverable form, and as much as 13 tons when expended. The rocket will use liquid engines, powered by liquid oxygen and methane.
* * *
STEM GAMES:
Play some fun engineering-based STEM games on engineering.com:
engineering.com/resources/games
* * *
ENGINEERING.COM TV:
Watch in-depth engineering videos made for the engineering professional and found exclusively on engineering.com TV:
For the Design Engineer: engineering.com/viewAll?category=designing-the-future
For the Manufacturing Engineer: engineering.com/viewAll?category=manufacturing-the-future
* * *
#iSpace #SpaceX #reusablerockets
