BEIJING, Sept 23 (Askume) – China Deep Blue Aerospace said on Sunday its first reusable kerosene rocket, Nebula-1, conducted a high-altitude vertical recovery test flight in northern Inner Mongolia.
The private rocket startup’s spacecraft completed 10 of its 11 missions, with its three thrusters firing as usual to send the Nebula-1 rocket aloft. Later, as planned, both engines separated and the rocket began its descent, the company said in a statement.
But as test photos showed, when Nebula-1 approached the launch pad, its landing system malfunctioned and it hit the ground with enormous force, causing the top of the rocket to break off and fall to one side, and its exterior to catch fire.
Investors and rocket developers say alternative fuels such as kerosene, methane and liquid oxygen help reduce costs and allow rockets to launch in a cleaner, more efficient way.
Last year, several private Chinese rocket startups tested a variety of spacecraft, aiming to build satellite constellations as an alternative to Musk’s Starlink products to capitalize on growing demand from China’s expanding commercial space industry.
