14 July 2022
CAS Space is designing a set of reusable rocket and spacecraft, with the aim of sending paying passengers on short trips into space, said Yang Yiqiang, a senior rocket scientist and founder of CAS Space in an interview with China Daily. If everything goes according to plan, the combination of the rocket and spaceship will become mature after at least 15 test flights and will be able to transport up to seven tourists each time to an altitude of more than 100 km. "Our idea is that after the rocket reaches the Karman Line, the spacecraft will separate and then continue to fly with the force of inertia. The rocket will re-enter the atmosphere and make a soft landing using its own engines, while the spaceship will return with its parachutes," Yang said, adding that the landing zone will be in a sparsely populated area in northwestern China.
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