Home›Global Markets›Trade & Tariffs›China researchers unveil fast cold forming for propell…

China researchers unveil fast cold forming for propellant tank domes

The technique is designed to produce a seamless propellant tank dome in hours instead of about a week, aiming to ease a key bottleneck for reusable rocket fleets.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

South China Morning Post Economy reports that the US-China space race could hinge on propellant tank dome components that must endure extreme internal pressure, vibration, and shock, while also being difficult to mass-produce. According to SCMP Economy, the dome is a large ellipsoidal bulkhead, several metres wide but only millimetres thick, and whichever country can make it faster, cheaper, and more reliably could gain an advantage in building large fleets of reusable rockets.

The outlet says Chinese researchers have presented a “cold forming” method that can shape a complete, seamless dome in a few hours rather than a week. SCMP Economy adds that the advance is positioned by China as a way to break the production bottleneck, potentially affecting the balance of the two countries’ future space capabilities.

More like this

Sources