China's first reusable rocket explodes, but its onboard Ethernet network flew (www.theregister.com)

China's rocketry company, LandSpace, launched its Zhuque-3 Y1 rocket last week, which marked a significant step towards achieving reusable rocket capabilities. Although the rocket successfully placed its second stage into orbit, the first stage experienced a failure during its landing attempt, resulting in an explosion. Despite this setback, LandSpace highlighted key technological achievements from the mission, including a nine-engine liquid oxygen-methane propulsion system and advanced welding techniques that cut manufacturing costs by 80%. The mission also demonstrated impressive advancements in online trajectory optimization, attitude stabilization, and high-precision control technologies. An important aspect of this launch was the introduction of a high-bandwidth, real-time communication platform utilizing Powerlink Ethernet, facilitating communications at speeds exceeding 100Mbps—an enormous enhancement compared to traditional systems. Additionally, the development of a high-performance return control computer integrated advanced automotive computing technology, achieving over ten times the processing power of conventional launch vehicles. These innovations not only signify progress for China's aerospace capabilities but also advance the integration of cutting-edge manufacturing and AI technologies into rocket systems, potentially transforming future space missions and satellite deployment strategies.