Deep Blue Aerospace
The Chinese space startup conducted a so-called “high-altitude” test flight of its Xingyun-1 rocket on Sunday, launching the rocket to an altitude of about five kilometers (three miles) before attempting to land at Ejinbanar spaceport in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
The test flight went smoothly for about two and a half minutes, but just before landing, the aircraft experienced a problem and erupted into a fireball.
This isn’t the first vertical landing test by a Chinese company, but what sets Deep Blue Aerospace apart from its competitors is its transparency. Detailed Description A preliminary review of what the test flight was, its objectives, and what went wrong.
Drone footage of Deep Blue Aerospace’s VTVL attempt today. Great footage of the landing and explosion. pic.twitter.com/rne1aT5566
— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) September 22, 2024
Along with this statement, the company released images and video, including from a nearby drone, of the fiery landing attempt and its aftermath. It’s some of the most incredible rocket footage I’ve ever seen, and a welcome new trend toward transparency among Chinese space companies.
The company said it learned a lot from the test, achieving 10 of 11 primary objectives, and plans to attempt another high-altitude test flight as early as November.
Deep Blue Aerospace is one of a group of Chinese aerospace startups that includes LinkSpace, iSpace, Galactic Energy and Space Pioneer that aims to replicate the success U.S.-based SpaceX has had with vertical takeoff and landing rockets. These experiments mimic the groundbreaking tests SpaceX conducted more than a decade ago with its Grasshopper test vehicle at its engine test range in McGregor, Texas.
This is the most amazing rocket landing footage I’ve ever seen. The video is by Deep Blue Aerospace. pic.twitter.com/PxmU7ugBIS
— SpaceBasedFox 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖊𝖊𝖆𝖊𝖗𝖔.𝖈𝖔𝖒 (@SpaceBasedFox) September 22, 2024
Deep Blue’s Nebula 1 rocket has a diameter of 3.35 meters (11 feet), slightly smaller than SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket (12 feet in diameter). Like the Falcon 9, it is powered by an engine that runs on kerosene and liquid oxygen. Given this weekend’s setback, an orbital test flight of the Nebula 1 is unlikely to take place before 2025.
While SpaceX conducted vertical landing tests after its Falcon 9 began sending customers into orbit, Deep Blue Aerospace is conducting tests prior to orbital launch and is looking to start landing first stages from scratch. So far, it should be fun to watch.
