火箭为何入轨易，回收难？与朱雀三号副总师聊聊我们离「完美落地」还有多远

Core Viewpoint - The successful first flight of the Zhuque-3 reusable rocket marks a significant milestone in China's commercial space industry, despite the failure to recover the first stage, highlighting the challenges of achieving both orbital insertion and recovery in the same mission [5][15][19]. Group 1: Zhuque-3 Overview - Zhuque-3 is a medium-sized reusable rocket using liquid oxygen and methane, designed to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9, featuring a similar two-stage configuration [7][9]. - The rocket's first flight took place on December 3, with the second stage successfully entering the designated orbit, while the first stage's recovery attempt was unsuccessful [5][14]. - The rocket's design emphasizes high-frequency reuse, utilizing materials like stainless steel and a specific engine configuration to enhance operational efficiency [24][25]. Group 2: Technical Challenges and Design Choices - The choice of liquid oxygen and methane, along with stainless steel, was made to optimize for reusability and reduce maintenance needs, as stainless steel can withstand high temperatures without requiring an external thermal protection layer [24][25]. - The recovery process involved multiple stages, including a re-entry burn and a controlled descent, which were critical for validating the rocket's design and operational capabilities [32]. - The recovery site was set at 390 kilometers for safety, impacting the rocket's payload capacity, which could increase significantly with a longer recovery distance [27]. Group 3: Future Plans and Industry Context - The company aims to achieve successful recovery by mid-2026, with plans to iterate on the design based on the first flight's data, including extending the recovery range and enhancing the rocket's capabilities [37][38]. - The competitive landscape in commercial spaceflight is intensifying, with the company focusing on providing cost-effective and reliable launch services to attract customers [35]. - The long-term vision includes developing a larger fully reusable rocket, with a target operational capacity of 200 tons, to further enhance China's capabilities in space [38][39].