Pallas-1
The Pallas-1 (Chinese: 智神星一号) is a medium-lift orbital launch vehicle under development by Galactic Energy. It features seven new 40-ton variable thrust Welkin engines burning RP-1 and liquid oxygen (kerolox) in its first stage. The first stage will have legs and grid fins to allow for stage recovery by vertical landing (much like the SpaceX Falcon 9).
| 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) |
| 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). The first launch of the rocket is scheduled to take place in November 2024, while an initial attempt at first stage recovery using landing legs is slated for 2025.
An upgraded variant of the rocket, Pallas-2 (Chinese: 智神星二号), is currently under development. Using three Pallas-1 booster cores as its first stage, Pallas-2 will be capable of putting a 14-tonne payload into low Earth orbit. The first launch of Pallas-2 is expected to take place no earlier than 2026.