The success of SpaceX with his Falcon 9 reusable products has pushed other companies to produce your own rockets that can land vertically after making a flight and still being useful. In China there are several initiatives in this regard. One of them, that of LandSpacewas recently in the news after successfully completing a ‘jump’ of 10.02 kilometers in altitude and 3.2 km in distance. Just the opposite of what happened yesterday Deep Blue Aerospacewhose rocket Nebula-1 turned into a fireball upon landing at the Ejin Banner base in Inner Mongolia.
Although meet 10 of the 11 objectives During the vertical takeoff and landing test (VTVL), the rocket had problems in its final phase that caused the accident.The company has stated that landing accuracy was around 0.5 meters and added that the innovations were successfully tested in attitude control, trajectory optimization and millimeter precision guidance. This was the first test in China in which an orbital-class rocket stage has been used in a reusable one.
The test flight went well for approximately 2 and a half minutes. According to the company, 3 Nebula-1 engines ignited as expected, propelling the rocket to an altitude of 5 kilometers. The descent process began without problems, with the planned shutdown of 2 engines. However, complications arose when the rocket attempted to land on its pad. The landing mechanism failed, causing the explosion when it was going to touch the ground. Images of the test show that the upper section of the rocket ruptured and suffered fire damage to its exterior when it overturned.
Drone footage from Deep Blue Aerospace’s VTVL attempt today. Great view of the landing and explosion. https://t.co/jlZhrYRLMIpic.twitter.com/rne1aT5566
—Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) September 22, 2024
Nebula-1 is a rocket two stages with a diameter of 3.35 meters. It works with a combination of kerosene and liquid oxygen and has 9 Thunder-R1 engines variable thrust, 3D printed, in its first stage. Deep Blue Aerospace already carried out a successful VTVL test at one kilometer altitude in 2022, but this has been the first time Thunder R-1 engines have been used that will boost orbital launches.
The second stage is powered by a single motor. This configuration allows the rocket to carry up to 2 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO); a planned upgraded version will be capable of transporting 8 tons to LEO.
Over the past year, Chinese private space companies such as Linkspace, iSpace, Galactic Energy and Space Pioneeramong others, have been testing different spacecraft designs, positioning themselves to meet the increasing demand in the country’s commercial space sector. This activity occurs in the midst of greater competition for establish satellite constellations that can compete with others like Elon Musk’s Starlink network.
Unlike SpaceX, which conducted its vertical landing tests after the Falcon 9 began putting satellites into orbit, Deep Blue Aerospace is testing it before orbital launches in an attempt to manage to land its first stages from the beginning. The company will conduct its next high-altitude test flight in November.