China's Deep Blue Aerospace Conducts Historic High-Altitude Rocket Recovery Test, Ending In A Spectacular Failure

The Nebula-1 rocket successfully completed 10 out of 11 major verification tasks during the 179-second flight. However, during the final landing phase, the engines cut off prematurely, causing the rocket to slam into the launchpad and suffer extensive damage.

Eyewitnesses described the scene as "devastating," with the rocket's remains scattered across the launch site. The exact cause of the engine failure is still under investigation.

The dramatic event was captured in stunning detail by a drone, whose footage has gone viral in the space community. The video shows the rocket's descent, followed by a sudden loss of thrust and a catastrophic impact. The footage has sparked both awe and concern among space enthusiasts.

"It's heartbreaking to see such an impressive achievement end in failure," said space analyst, Dr. John Taylor. "However, the data collected from this test will be invaluable in improving future launches."

Deep Blue Aerospace plans to conduct another high-altitude vertical recovery test in November, building on lessons learned from this initial attempt. The Nebula-1 rocket is the company's first commercial liquid rocket capable of reaching orbit and being reused.

The Nebula-1 rocket boasts impressive specifications, including a body diameter of 3.35 meters and a first-stage height of approximately 21 meters. It is equipped with the Thunder-R liquid oxygen and kerosene engine, a reusable liquid rocket engine developed entirely in-house by Deep Blue Aerospace.

The Thunder-R engine demonstrated effective thrust modulation throughout the flight, with a thrust adjustment range of 110% to 58% and precision better than 1%. Over 90% of the rocket's main structure is made using high-temperature alloy 3D printing technology.

The core objective of the test was to verify the correctness and coordination of various systems during the vertical recovery phase after the Nebula-1 reaches orbit. This test marks a crucial step towards breaking through and validating vertical recovery and reusability technologies for rockets in China.

The test was conducted at the Ejin Banner spaceport, China's first fully commercialized facility capable of supporting liquid rocket launches and flight tests. The site's remote location ensures safety and minimizes risks during testing.

Despite the setback, Deep Blue Aerospace remains committed to its vision of reusable rockets. "We will learn from this failure and come back stronger," said a company spokesperson.

By Azhar