Deep Blue Aerospace, a Chinese space firm, launched its Nebula-1 rocket into dramatic “high-altitude” test flight on Sunday at Inner Mongolia’s Ejin Banner Spaceport. Before making an attempt to land, the rocket rose to a height of about 5 km. However, the car had an issue shortly before landing, causing a huge explosion to burst out. The explosion and the company’s transparency have left viewers in awe of the event, which was caught in breathtaking detail by neighboring drones.
Deep Blue Aerospace has distinguished itself by being transparent, in contrast to earlier Chinese rocket tests. Shortly after the test flight, the corporation issued a thorough statement stating the goals of the trip as well as a preliminary analysis of what went wrong. In addition to sharing the event, they also made available amazing video of the flaming landing a move in the direction of increased openness in China’s quickly expanding space sector.
The test was deemed successful by the corporation despite the dramatic conclusion, since it had accomplished ten out of the eleven primary goals. Resolved to learn from the accident, Deep Blue Aerospace has already scheduled a second high-altitude test flight for November.
Deep Blue is one of several Chinese aerospace startups, including Linkspace, iSpace, and Space Pioneer, aiming to replicate the achievements of US-based SpaceX, which pioneered the vertical takeoff and vertical landing of rockets with its Grasshopper tests over a decade ago. The Nebula-1, with a 3.35-meter diameter, slightly smaller than SpaceX’s Falcon 9, is powered by kerosene-liquid oxygen engines, mimicking SpaceX’s design.
While the explosion may delay Nebula-1’s orbital test flight until 2025, the company’s efforts to land rockets early in its development cycle are impressive. With this test, Deep Blue Aerospace has positioned itself as a rising player in China’s aerospace industry, and future tests are certain to be thrilling to watch.
