China's independently developed Zhuque-3 reusable test rocket completed the country's first in-flight ignition during the descent stage of a 10-kilometer vertical takeoff and landing (VTVL) test on Wednesday, paving the way for future reusable space launches.
At 12:00 on Wednesday, the test rocket blasted off from the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The test procedure lasted for some 200 seconds and included ascent, engine shutdown, power-off glide, in-flight engine restart and soft landing.
The test rocket is a single-stage liquid oxygen-methane vehicle, with a diameter of 3.35 meters and a length of 18.3 meters. It utilizes the same high-strength stainless steel airframe structure as the Zhuque-3 rocket.
It is a significant breakthrough in the country's commercial space sector, marking a crucial step towards realizing high-capacity, low-cost, high-frequency and reusable space launches in the future, according to the rocket's developer LandSpace, a Chinese private rocket company.
"For the first time in China, we conducted in-flight ignition during a VTVL test for rocket recovery. We are also the first to use quasi-real-time wind-response correction technology to adjust the rocket's trajectory in the country. Both technologies serve as verifications for future reusable rocket launches," said Dai Zheng, chief commander of Zhuque-3.
In addition to the first flight test in January, these two vertical takeoff and landing flight tests successfully verified several key technologies for reusable rockets, laying the foundation for the future maiden flight and recovery of the Zhuque-3 rocket, according to LandSpace.
Zhuque-3 reusable test rocket completes China's first in-flight ignition in VTVL test
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that his country has not sent hypersonic missiles to Yemen's Houthi group.
The president made the remarks at a press conference in Tehran, in response to a question from an Al Jazeera news network reporter who quoted political experts saying that Iran has supplied hypersonic missiles, or the technology to develop them, to the Houthis.
Iran has hypersonic missiles, but not of the same kind that the Houthis possess, Pezeshkian said, adding that the Houthis themselves had developed the missiles over time.
It is impossible for Iran to send missiles to Yemen covertly when it takes more than a week just to send solely human forces to the country, he said.
Pezeshkian said that Iran and the Houthis have worked together against Israel's "genocide" in Gaza, and stressed that the international community should condemn the crimes against humanity committed by Israel.
"If [the Western] countries are worried about the security of Israel, why are they not concerned about the security of Gaza Strip, the security of Palestine and innocent people? Civilized countries and supporters of human rights should not allow power to bomb and kill innocent civilians while simultaneously accusing Iran of supplying missiles to Yemen's Houthis," said Pezeshkian.
On Iran-U.S. relations, Pezeshkian emphasized Iran's pursuit of peace over conflict and clarified that Iran has no intentions of building nuclear weapons.
However, he said, the U.S. has chosen to abandon the Iran nuclear deal and made threats against Iran. The possibility of a relaxation in strained relations between the two sides hinges on the U.S. dropping its animosity towards Iran and revoking its extensive sanctions against the country, he said.
"We don't want to start a war, but the U.S. wants to impose wars on us. If the U.S. is willing to respect Iran's rights, we will not engage in conflict with the U.S. or any other party. We hope to develop safely in our own country without the U.S. undermining Iran's security or threaten and humiliate Iran. we will never accept humiliation," Pezeshkian said.
Iran has not sent hypersonic missiles to Yemen's Houthis: President Pezeshkian
