Chinese State-owned space company demonstrated a 10-km level VTVL test with a 3.8m diameter test vehicle. China’s first 10-kilometre-class vertical take-off and vertical landing (VTVL) test flight of a reusable carrier rocket is successfully completed, marking the largest-scale vertical take-off and landing flight test of reusable launch vehicles in China.
The Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation developed and manufactured the rocket. Using three variable-thrust liquid oxygen-methane engines, the rocket reached the stratosphere at about 12 kilometres, the apex of the test flight profile. As part of the test process, the central engine adjusted the thrust, and the rocket descended in a controlled manner. At 50 meters from the ground, the four landing legs unfolded, and the rocket then slowly descended, approaching zero altitude, and landed steadily on the recovery pad, achieving a fixed-point vertical soft landing.
The test is also the first application of the domestically developed deep variable thrust liquid oxygen-methane engine in a ten-kilometre return flight. Low-temperature liquid oxygen and methane propellants only produce water and carbon dioxide after full combustion, which is clean, environmentally friendly, and conducive to reuse. At the same time, the cost of methane production is relatively low so it can adapt to the commercial development direction of rockets.
The entire test took about 6 minutes.
Subsequently, the development team will conduct a 70-kilometre-level vertical take-off and landing test of the reusable carrier rocket.
