China’s first full-scale reusable rocket test fuels iSpace Hyperbola-3 ambitions
- Result is a ‘breakthrough’ for Chinese commercial space sector, the trailblazing company said
- According to iSpace, the successful test of its smaller Hyperbola-2 shows it is on track for a 2025 launch of its bigger rocket
The “hop test” at the Jiuquan satellite launch centre in northern China’s Gobi Desert on Thursday lasted a little under one minute but was enough to verify that the company is on track to fly its bigger Hyperbola-3 reusable rocket in 2025, iSpace said.
In a statement on its official WeChat account, iSpace said the test “provided strong technical support for the development of the medium/large-scale reusable launch vehicle Hyperbola-3 we are currently working on”.
“The success marked a breakthrough for China’s commercial space sector … It also sounded the charge for China’s space industry to catch up with the world’s most advanced levels in reusable rocket technologies.”
The vertical take-off/vertical landing (VTVL) test achieved a landing accuracy of 1.7 metres (5ft 7in), with the first stage of the Hyperbola-2 reaching a height of 178.4 metres before making a well-controlled descent and touchdown, according to the statement.
The flight verified the company’s overall scheme for developing a recoverable first stage and related technologies, including thrust system, landing navigation and guidance, as well as buffering and supporting facilities, iSpace said.