BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Deep Blue Aerospace said on Sunday that its first reusable kerosene-powered rocket, the Nebula-1, failed to complete a high-altitude test flight in the northern region of Inner Mongolia and crashed in the final phase of the test.
The private rocket startup’s spacecraft completed 10 of its 11 missions, the company said in a statement, firing its three boosters as usual and launching Nebula-1 high into the sky. Two of its engines then separated as planned, and the rocket began its descent.
But as Nebula-1 approached the launch pad again, the landing system failed and the rocket landed too hard. This caused the upper part of the rocket to break off and fall on its side. Fire damage occurred to the exterior, as photos of the test showed.
Investors and rocket developers say alternative fuels such as kerosene, methane and liquid oxygen could lower costs and make rockets launch more cleanly and efficiently.
Several private Chinese rocket startups have been testing various spacecraft over the past year. They are looking to prepare their products for the growing demand in China’s growing commercial space industry. Competition is fierce and a constellation of satellites is needed as an alternative to Elon Musk’s Starlink.
(Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)