Chinese startup anticipates improved performance in upcoming rocket recovery tests

Written by Copernical Team Sunday, 29 September 2024 16:22

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Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 26, 2024

Chinese rocket startup Deep Blue Aerospace (Deep Blue) has announced plans for another high-altitude vertical recovery test in November, following a recent setback with its reusable rocket, Nebula-1. The vehicle encountered an issue during the final landing phase of a test flight, resulting in damage to its structure. Nebula-1, powered by a liquid oxygen and kerosene engine, completed 10 o

Chinese startup anticipates improved performance in upcoming rocket recovery tests
by Simon Mansfield
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 26, 2024

Chinese rocket startup Deep Blue Aerospace (Deep Blue) has announced plans for another high-altitude vertical recovery test in November, following a recent setback with its reusable rocket, Nebula-1. The vehicle encountered an issue during the final landing phase of a test flight, resulting in damage to its structure.

Nebula-1, powered by a liquid oxygen and kerosene engine, completed 10 of its 11 critical verification tasks during the flight. However, an anomaly in the final landing phase led to a fracture in the rocket body.

"There was a problem with the engine's thrust control servo tracking command, causing the rocket to land at a height exceeding its design parameters. As a safety precaution, the rocket shutdown command was triggered, resulting in partial damage to its body," said Zhao Ya, executive president of Deep Blue.

Despite this outcome, Zhao emphasized the value of the test, stating that it provided essential data and would help improve the rocket's performance and reliability in future trials.

Most phases of the 179-second flight were successful, with Nebula-1 performing well during takeoff, ascent, and descent. The rocket landed precisely in the center of the recovery zone, indicating the overall success of its design and the reliability of its engine, according to aerospace expert Shou Tuo.

Support for the mission extended to Chinese netizens. "I have always felt that it is more important to get cognition, rather than the result," a Weibo user Cao Meng-Aerospace posted.

Looking ahead, Deep Blue plans to conduct a five-kilometer high-altitude recovery test in November. Chief technical designer Du Pengfei stated that this flight will aim to complete the pending verification tasks. Following this, a 100-kilometer recovery flight is expected within the next one to two months. Nebula-1's first orbital and recovery mission is planned for early 2025.

The Nebula-1 rocket, 3.35 meters in diameter with a first stage height of 21 meters, features nine 3D-printed liquid engines, developed in-house by Deep Blue. The vehicle is designed for satellite networking, space cargo delivery, and scientific experiments. Zhao noted that reusable rocket technology will significantly reduce space exploration costs.

"Short-term setbacks will not affect our long-term development, but will accelerate the process of technology maturity and commercialization," he said. "High risk in the space field requires us to be capable of coping with failures."

Since 2014, China has seen rapid growth in its commercial space sector, spurred by government policies encouraging private investment. In 2023, private spaceflight companies achieved more than 10 successful launches. The government has listed commercial spaceflight as a key industry for development.

Additionally, Zhuque-3, another Chinese reusable rocket, successfully completed a 10-kilometer vertical takeoff and landing test on September 11. Aerospace analyst Shou Tuo noted that the ability to reuse rockets in orbital missions is vital for private space companies competing in the market.

"It is noteworthy that newcomers in China's commercial space sector may face multiple pressures from funding, market share competition, and media attention," Shou added.