China launches first carrier rocket factoryBy The Manila Timeshome/News/World/China launches first carrier rocket factoryThe first privately owned carrier rocket factory in China, and the largest of its kind in Asia, recently began operations and is set to build what is expected to be the country’s biggest privately designed rocket. Except for the Huzhou facility, all carrier rocket factories in China belong to State-owned space entities such as China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. The Japanese company’s plant is in Taiki, Hokkaido, and is much smaller than the Huzhou factory. LandSpace launched its first carrier rocket－the 19-meter, solid-fuel ZQ 1－in late October at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, planning to place a mini-satellite into orbit. There are nearly 10 private rocket firms in China and all of them were founded over the past three years.

Source: Manila Times December 22, 2018 02:27 UTC