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The launch of a solid-fuel rocket developed by Chinese commercial space company iSpace failed on Tuesday, the second launch failure in three orbital attempts by the start-up, Chinese state media said.
A Hyperbola 1 rocket lifted off from Jiuquan launch pad at 3:39 a.m. EDT (07:39 GMT; 3:39 p.m. Beijing time), the Chinese government-run Xinhua News Agency said.
Xinhua, which described the launch as a “flight test,” said the rocket exhibited “abnormal performance” after takeoff. Officials did not immediately say when during the flight the rocket failed.
The news agency said a satellite carried by the rocket “did not enter orbit as expected.” Chinese authorities have not identified the payload lost during the mission.
The Hyperbola 1 rocket was developed by iSpace, also known as Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Ltd. On its website, iSpace says the Hyperbola 1 rocket consists of four solid fuel stages, supplemented by liquid fuel attitude control engines.
A data sheet posted on the iSpace website states that the Hyperbola 1 rocket is about 78 feet (24 meters) in height and produces about 173,000 pounds of thrust on takeoff. It can carry a payload of up to 660 pounds, or 300 kilograms, in a sun-synchronous orbit 500 kilometers high, according to iSpace.
The first successful Hyperbola 1 rocket launch was in July 2019, making iSpace the first private company in China to put a satellite into orbit.
An improved model of the Hyperbola 1 rocket was launched on February 1, but the vehicle got out of control shortly after takeoff. In a statement, iSpace said investigators determined that a piece of foam insulation designed to drop the rocket after launch fell and got stuck on one of the grille fins at the bottom of the first. stage.
When the piece of foam fell from the grid later in the flight, the fin deflected over 30 degrees in a short time, causing the rocket’s attitude to suddenly change. The deviation resulted in the loss of control of the rocket.
Thanks to a policy change in 2014 to allow the flow of private capital into the Chinese launch industry, companies like iSpace established in recent years have quickly brought small solid fuel launchers into service. Many, or all, of the first generation of Chinese privately funded launchers appear to use rocket engines derived from Chinese ballistic missiles.
Last year, another Chinese launch company named Galactic Energy became the second Chinese startup independently run from the country’s former state-owned space entrepreneurs to launch a rocket into Earth orbit.
Two other companies, LandSpace and OneSpace, unsuccessfully launched orbital-class rockets.
Many of the new wave of Chinese launch companies, including iSpace, are planning more powerful liquid-fueled rockets to carry heavier satellites into orbit.
The Hyperbola 2 rocket being developed by iSpace is designed to be reusable, with its first and second stages driven by engines fueled by methane and liquid oxygen. The Hyperbola 2 rocket will be 28 meters high and its first stage will attempt a propellant landing, allowing iSpace to recover, refurbish and reuse the booster.
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