Rocket Report: SpaceX targeted, Chinese rocket scientist goes viral, SLS slips?

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson/United Launch Alliance)

Welcome to Edition 1.20 of the Rocket Report! We have a couple of stories about a rising Chinese commercial space company, LandSpace, and its efforts to attract new talent that have gone viral. There is also news about commercial crew delays, which may or may not be hardware related, as well as an official Space Launch System slip.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

LandSpace to launch a solid rocket, but eyes liquid engines. Chinese startup LandSpace announced that it will launch its Zhuque-1 three-stage, solid-propellant rocket near the end of October, with the exact date to be decided, SpaceNews reports. The Zhuque-1 booster is 19 meters tall, with a 1.3-meter diameter and a thrust of 45 tons. It is able to carry 200 kilograms to a 500-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit and 300 kilograms to LEO.

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