China's reusable rocket ambitions hit by test failure

Deep Blue Aerospace reported the test's "partial success." The Chinese startup is trying to develop a reusable launch vehicle similar to the Falcon 9 rocket developed by SpaceX in terms of operation. Its first stage, equipped with valuable engines, is recovered after launch, allowing for its multiple uses and consequently reducing the costs of space missions.

However, during the first stage test of the Nebula-1 rocket, a disaster occurred. The Chinese rocket was supposed to launch and then land at a designated site. The launch proceeded without issue.

A large part of the landing also proceeded successfully. The module stabilized its position in the air, moved over the landing site at an altitude of approximately 200 metres, and then extended and locked the legs that stabilized it on the ground. During the landing, only one of the three engines operated as planned, and its premature shutdown caused the rocket to crash and explode.

As Deep Blue Aerospace emphasized in its statement, the 179-second test completed 10 out of the 11 planned stages, and no safety issues arose during the trial.

The first stage of the Nebula-1 rocket has a diameter of 3.35 meters and a height of 21 meters. As the creators of the rocket point out, its body is made of 90% uniform material, formed at high temperatures in the 3D printing process.

The destruction of the rocket did not interrupt the trial cycle. The next test is to be conducted as soon as November 2024. As reported by Space24, Nebula-1 is not the only Chinese rocket built similarly to SpaceX’s designs.

A similar test was recently successfully conducted by the startup Landscape, testing the first stage of the future Zhuque-3 rocket. In this case, the recovery attempt of the stage after launch was successful. However, the uncontrolled launch of the Tianlong-3 rocket developed by the Chinese company Space Pioneer ended in disaster.