LinkSpace
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace launch services |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Hu Zhenyu, Yan Chengyi, Wu Xiaofei |
| Headquarters | Beijing , China |
Key people | Hu Zhenyu (CEO) |
| Products | Reusable rockets, launch services |
| Website | linkspace |
LinkSpace (), officially known as Link Space Aerospace Technology Inc., is a private aerospace launch enterprise based in Beijing, China. Established in 2014 by founders Hu Zhenyu, Yan Chengyi, and Wu Xiaofei, it holds the distinction of being the first private rocket company in China. Hu Zhenyu acts as the company's CEO. The firm is officially registered in Shenzhen.
Early Rocket Tests
Prior to its formal incorporation in 2014, the team led by Hu conducted tests of the KC-SA-TOP suborbital rocket capable of carrying payloads up to 50 kilograms in the Inner Mongolia region.
Reusable Rocket Landing
On April 2, 2019, LinkSpace successfully launched a prototype of a reusable rocket from a site in Eastern China.
VTVL Prototype Rockets
To advance reusable rocket technologies, LinkSpace developed vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) prototype rockets. By July 2016, the company had achieved hover flight using a single-engine rocket with thrust vectoring capabilities. By September 2017, three such hovering rockets underwent testing in Shandong Province.
On April 19, 2019, the VTVL prototype named RLV-T5 (also referred to as NewLine Baby) completed a flight reaching an altitude of 40 meters and executed a safe landing after approximately 30 seconds. This vehicle measures 8.1 meters in length, has a mass of 1.5 metric tons, and is powered by five liquid-fueled engines.
On August 10, 2019, LinkSpace announced a test flight that achieved an altitude of 300 meters.
On May 5, 2022, the company performed a static fire test on its RLV-T6 vehicle as part of preparations for a planned suborbital flight targeting an altitude near 100 kilometers from Lenghu in Qinghai Province. However, this launch was subsequently delayed until mid-2023.
New Line 1
The New Line 1 (Xin Gan Xian 1; ) is an under-development two-stage liquid-fueled launch vehicle designed to deploy microsatellites and nanosatellites into orbit. It features a reusable first stage and has a diameter of , standing at a height of . The rocket's liftoff mass is , with an initial thrust at takeoff of . It is engineered to deliver payloads up to into Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at roughly altitude.
The first stage is equipped with four kerosene/liquid oxygen (kerolox) engines, each generating thrust. Launch expenses are initially estimated at $4.5 million per mission but could decrease to $2.25 million if the first stage is successfully reused. By late 2017, the primary engine had completed over two hundred test runs, with the maiden flight targeted for 2020.
Prospective New Line Series Rockets
Future development includes plans for incorporating a reusable second stage on upcoming models such as the New Line 3, aimed at improving the overall reusability and operational efficiency of the launch vehicles.
Services
LinkSpace plans to broaden its scope beyond launch operations to include transportation and rocket-related services. The company intends to manufacture rocket parts and facilitate suborbital cargo delivery between Earth locations. This strategy mirrors SpaceX’s Starship initiative aimed at swift worldwide transportation.
Marketplace
LinkSpace operates in a competitive environment alongside Chinese aerospace startups such as LandSpace, Galactic Energy, ExPace, i-Space, OneSpace, and Deep Blue Aerospace. By emphasizing rocket reusability and direct point-to-point travel, LinkSpace aligns its market approach closely with that of SpaceX within the commercial space industry.
See also
- Deep Blue Aerospace, a Chinese enterprise advancing VTVL technology
External links
- Official website: http://linkspace.com.cn/