One-Hour Rocket Delivery: Alibaba, the big online shopping company from China, has some exciting news. They are looking into delivering packages worldwide in just one hour using rockets. This new idea is a big deal and it’s part of a special partnership they have with a company called Epoch Space in Beijing. They talked about this plan on a popular social media platform called WeChat.
This announcement has caught a lot of attention because it is a big change in how deliveries usually work. Normally, getting packages from one place to another takes much longer, but Alibaba wants to make it super fast.
They are thinking of using rockets to send packages around the world quickly. This could mean people could get their orders in just an hour, no matter where they are. It is an innovative idea that could change how we think about online shopping and delivery.
Alibaba, known for its Taobao online store, is facing tough competition both at home and abroad. To stay strong in the online shopping world, the company is working hard to improve its delivery services. They have already started offering a five-day delivery option to important markets like Germany, France, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and now the United States. This service is handled by Alibaba’s logistics branch, Cainiao Smart Logistics Network, as reported by the South China Morning Post through Interesting Engineering.
Alibaba’s Taobao platform is one of its main businesses, and it’s facing a lot of competition. So, Alibaba is focusing on making sure it stays a top player in the online shopping industry. To do this, they’re trying to improve their delivery services. One way they’re doing this is by offering faster delivery options to key markets like Germany, France, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and the United States. This is all part of Alibaba’s logistics network, called Cainiao Smart Logistics Network.
Alibaba is pushing the boundaries of delivery speed even further by exploring rocket-based transportation. Rockets are known to be the fastest way to transport things, and Alibaba wants to use this technology to make deliveries even quicker. They’ve partnered with Epoch Space to make this happen. The plan involves using the cargo area of a rocket called Yuanxingzhe 1. This rocket is advanced, with a capacity to carry more than ten metric tonnes and a cargo space of over 4,200 cubic feet (120 m3).
Even though the Yuanxingzhe 1 has not flown yet, Epoch Space has shared animations showing how it will work. The rocket has a unique design that includes a conveyor belt system for loading parcels. This means that packages can be loaded onto the rocket quickly and efficiently, making the delivery process faster and more streamlined.
The YXZ-1 rocket, like SpaceX’s reusable rockets, is designed to be used for many missions. This includes practicing landings on ships at sea. In a proposed plan shown in an animation, the rocket starts its journey from the eastern part of China. It goes up into space for a short time and then comes back down in the western part of China about 25 minutes later. Once it lands, a conveyor belt quickly unloads the cargo area, moving packages to a delivery van waiting nearby. The van then takes the packages to customers for final delivery.
