鲨鱼

Chinese firm’s Lixun-1 ‘space tug’ eyes maiden flight in Q1 2027 after key propulsion tests_我的网站

A |     

    The general assembly of the Lixun-1 upper stage Photo: Courtesy of CAS Space
    The Lixun-1 upper stage Photo: Courtesy of CAS Space
Lixun-1 upper stage, a versatile "space tug" developed by China's commercial space firm CAS Space, is scheduled to make its maiden flight in the first quarter of 2027 after completing a series of key propulsion-system tests, the developer and its chief designer told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The "tug" is designed to ferry satellites from one orbit to another and support missions ranging from constellation deployment to lunar exploration. 
While the main stages of a rocket carry payloads from the ground into an initial orbit, an upper stage takes over once the craft is in space. By repeatedly restarting its engine and changing orbit, Lixun-1 can deliver satellites to higher or different orbits, distribute multiple spacecraft to separate destinations during a single launch, or send probes onto trajectories toward the moon and beyond, Global Times learned from the developer.
Yang Haoliang, chief designer of the Lixun-1 upper stage, compared the system to a shuttle service. "If the regular stages of a launch vehicle are like a long-distance bus," - they carry the upper stage and satellites from Earth to a near-Earth parking orbit - the upper stage then takes over as a "space tug," carrying its satellite "passengers" onward to their designated orbital "stops," Yang explained. 
That capability can have a direct impact on how efficiently satellites are launched and operated, Yang said. If a satellite has to climb from an initial orbit to its final destination using its own engine, the process can consume a considerable amount of onboard propellant and reduce the fuel available during its operational life. An upper stage can instead perform that orbital transfer, helping conserve satellite fuel and potentially extend its service life.
It can also make one rocket launch do more work. Instead of releasing a batch of satellites into roughly the same orbit, Lixun-1 can repeatedly ignite its engine and maneuver between deployments, sending different satellites to different altitudes and inclinations. Yang said this would help accelerate constellation deployment while improving the efficiency of individual launches.
The practical ambitions behind the system are backed by a major technical milestone reached this month. In August, Lixun-1 completed its PV-001 integrated propulsion-system coordination firing test, during which the entire system operated smoothly for 566 seconds.  
Yang told the Global Times that the current Lixun-1 upper stage has a thrust of 20 kilonewtons and can achieve a specific impulse of 315 seconds, which he described as reaching an internationally leading level. The August firing covered the planned profile for the maiden mission, an important step before the system proceeds to flight testing.
The test was more than a demonstration of the engine itself. As an important system-level verification during development, it examined the coordination and engineering reliability of the engine pressurization system, propellant delivery system, propellant management system and servo-control system under the fully integrated configuration.
Of a series of tests that accumulated 5,211 seconds of firing time, the latest one focused on three core technologies: a high-thrust, high-performance 20-kilonewton upper-stage engine capable of multiple starts; balanced propellant delivery from multiple parallel tanks; and a highly reliable integrated electrical system. Their successful verification means Lixun-1 has completed its system-level testing and is ready to move into the flight-test phase, according to the developer.
Lixun-1 has been designed as a modular and generally adaptable upper stage rather than a system tied to only one rocket. It is intended to work with CAS Space's Kinetica-2 and Kinetica-2 heavy-lift variants as well as other launch vehicles, Yang said.
When paired with the Kinetica-2 family, Lixun-1 could significantly expand the rocket's mission range. For communications missions, it could deliver satellites to geosynchronous transfer orbit or even directly to geosynchronous orbit, conserving satellite propellant while supporting the deployment of high-throughput satellites and future 6G communications spacecraft.
For multi-satellite missions, the combination could distribute spacecraft to different orbital altitudes and inclinations during a single launch, potentially serving both low-Earth-orbit constellations and medium- or high-orbit payloads. For deep-space missions, it could place probes onto Earth-moon transfer trajectories and support lunar exploration, Yang said.
The upper stage is designed to be able to conduct more than 20 engine ignitions, autonomously plan orbital-transfer routes and operate under the vacuum and extreme temperature conditions of space. After completing payload deployment, it can also carry out orbital disposal maneuvers to reduce space-debris risks.
Yang said the Lixun-1 and Kinetica-2 combination is designed to cover the vast majority of commercial satellite launch requirements while retaining the ability to participate in major national space projects. More broadly, the upper stage forms part of CAS Space's effort to build launch capabilities reaching medium and high Earth orbits and deep space, extending the reach of China's commercial space sector toward higher orbits and more distant destinations.
。    　　马斯克传来重大动作。　　据最新消息，世界首富马斯克旗下特斯拉将于当地时间9月3日举行Cybercab发布活动。据悉，Cybercab没有方向盘、制动踏板、后视镜，是一款完全为自动驾驶而生的纯电动双座轿车。　　股价表现方面，美东时间8月21日，特斯拉股价大幅飙涨，盘中一度大涨超6%，截至收盘，涨幅达5.14%，总市值升至1.43万亿美元。在此之前，马斯克曾多次将Cybercab和Robotaxi服务定位为特斯拉未来营收和利润的重要来源。　　特斯拉官宣　　8月22日，特斯拉在社交平台上宣布，将于当地时间9月3日在得克萨斯州奥斯汀举行Cybercab发布活动。　　特斯拉Cybercab是一款完全为自动驾驶而生的纯电动双座轿车，也是其无人驾驶出租车（Robotaxi）业务的首款专属车型。　　据介绍，这款车没有方向盘、后视镜，也没有刹车踏板，其前排仅剩一块中控屏用于交互，是特斯拉专为其自动驾驶叫车服务Robotaxi打造的首款专用车型，也完全依赖特斯拉的FSD（全自动驾驶）系统来驾驶。　　这一设计的核心含义是：一旦自动驾驶系统遇到问题，车内没有人类驾驶员可以接管。特斯拉表示，公司配备了远程操作员，可在紧急情况下介入监控并接管车辆。　　据The Information此前报道，特斯拉计划分两步推进：先在公共道路上向员工提供Cybercab乘车服务，数天后再正式向公众开放。　　特斯拉的目标是将Cybercab的售价控制在3万美元以下。据其介绍，Cybercab的能耗表现也很突出，每英里用电成本远低于Model 3，旨在为大规模车队运营打下成本基础。　　目前特斯拉Robotaxi服务主要使用Model Y车型，今年1月22日已在奥斯汀启动无人监督的全自动驾驶运营，6月3日完成全市范围无安全员服务全覆盖，6月22日面向公众开放付费搭乘。　　马斯克近日宣布特斯拉奥斯汀Robotaxi取消车内安全员过去7个月后，有迹象表明，当地的Robotaxi服务终于全面进入真正的无人驾驶阶段。　　Robotaxi Tracker创建者伊森·麦卡纳透露，过去两周，网站监测到的奥斯汀170次特斯拉Robotaxi行程全部都没有车内安全员，共涉及54辆汽车。类似变化也出现在达拉斯和休斯敦等其他城市，在过去一周内，约有30辆无人驾驶特斯拉汽车投入运营。　　特斯拉有望在本次活动中官宣Cybercab加入Robotaxi服务车队，不过推广节奏仍待采集Cybercab全新底盘实测数据与监管审批进度。　　回顾此前，自6月起，Cybercab已在全美多地公共道路上被目击进行测试，包括奥斯汀。

B | 7月，特斯拉开始允许员工在奥斯汀园区私人道路上乘坐Cybercab，并收集反馈意见——这与去年奥斯汀Robotaxi首个站点上线前的准备流程如出一辙。

C | 　　今年6月30日，首辆量产版Cybercab开始工程测试，车辆在无方向盘、无踏板状态下上路行驶；7月，内部员工在奥斯汀园区私人道路上开启通勤试运营，这与去年Robotaxi上线前的流程类似。

D | 　　近期，特斯拉还在奥斯汀完成了对急救人员的紧急培训，教导他们如何处理Cybercab相关突发情况，例如在必要时如何移动车辆。奥斯汀市政府发言人对此予以确认。

E | 　　马斯克的关键一战　　马斯克曾多次将Cybercab和Robotaxi服务定位为特斯拉未来营收和利润的重要来源，也是其AI战略的核心支柱。　　据爱建证券推算，Cybercab购置成本或较网约车降低30%，降本空间来自供应链整合与结构设计优化。Cybercab通过去除方向盘、踏板等部件、采用小电池方案降低整车复杂度，并配合新生产工艺，单车成本较同期美国网约车主流车型购置成本低约30%。而Cybercab量产运营成本约0.21–0.25美元/英里，接近传统网约车的20%，为Robotaxi盈利成立的核心支撑。　　特斯拉在7月最新财报中披露，特斯拉Robotaxi业务目前覆盖七大区域，其中2州6城无监督运营，无监督驾驶累计超38万英里，近数月周度里程保持双位数增速，服务期间零重大事故，累计付费里程接近250万英里。　　据悉，特斯拉雇用了数百名安全操作员，负责测试软件、优化系统，并协助湾区的叫车服务。不过，在迈阿密等新市场，特斯拉已开始减少安全操作员数量，并在车辆上路初期不再安排员工随车。　　在资本投入层面，特斯拉今年资本支出同比增长逾一倍，达到近58亿美元，主要用于AI相关项目。马斯克的逻辑是：特斯拉不应被视为一家单纯的汽车制造商，AI与自动驾驶才是其未来的核心。　　值得注意的是，特斯拉上个月已开始在德州生产Cybercab，但随后表示2026年内不会达到量产规模。马斯克在7月财报会上解释称，由于Cybercab采用全新平台，特斯拉需要先积累专属驾驶数据，才能进一步扩大投放规模。（文章来源：券商中国）。

Current article:http://90h.cibianpangjujiusu.cyou/list_xjpm/96kzrzo.html

Published on:12:03:29