Pallas-1
Partially reusable orbital launch vehicle by Galactic Energy
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The Pallas-1 (Chinese: 智神星一号; pinyin: Zhìshénxīng Yī-hào; lit. 'Zhishenxing-1') is a medium-lift orbital launch vehicle under development by Galactic Energy.[2] It features seven Welkin engines burning RP-1 and liquid oxygen (kerolox) in its first stage.[3] The first stage will have legs and grid fins to allow for stage recovery by vertical landing (much like the SpaceX Falcon 9).[2]
| Function | Launch Vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Galactic Energy |
| Country of origin | China |
| Size | |
| Height | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Mass | 220,000 kg (490,000 lb) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to 400 km (250 mi) LEO | |
| Mass | 5,000 kg (11,000 lb)[1] |
| Payload to 700 km (430 mi) SSO | |
| Mass | 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Comparable | GSLV, Long March 4A, Nuri, ZQ-2 |
| Launch history | |
| Status | In development |
| Total launches | 0 |
| First stage | |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Powered by | 7 Welkin |
| Maximum thrust | 3,500 kN (790,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 151s |
| Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
| Second stage | |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Powered by | 1 Welkin Vac |
| Maximum thrust | 600 kN (130,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 186s |
| Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
| Third stage | |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
Pallas-1 is planned to be capable of placing a 5-tonne payload into low Earth orbit (LEO), or a 3-tonne payload into a 700-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).[4] The first launch of the rocket was scheduled to take place in November 2024,[5][needs update] while an initial attempt at first stage recovery using landing legs is slated for 2025.[6]
Using three Pallas-1 booster cores as its first stage, Pallas-1B (Chinese: 智神星一号乙) will be capable of putting a 17.5-tonne payload into low Earth orbit.[3]
Launches
Future Launches
| Serial number | Rocket & serial | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Outcome | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pallas-1 | 2026 | Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center | No Payload (Demo flight) | N/a | Planned | First test flight of Pallas-1 |
