Chinese space startup DeepBlue Aerospace conducted a near-flawless flight test of its first vertical launch and vertical landing rocket on Sunday. However, the Nebula-1 reusable rocket failed the test’s final component, the landing. The rocket slammed into the pad and exploded dramatically in front of drones there to capture what was intended to be a marketable achievement.
The Nebula-1’s landing seemed going to plan as it approached the pad. Its landing legs were fully extended, and the rocket itself was centered on the landing spot while its engines were firing. Things took a turn for the worst once the engines cut off. The rocket was still aloft above the pad when the cutoff happened and came crashing down to the surface. The Nebula-1 exploded on impact, sending debris flying in all directions. DeepBlue claims it still learned a lot from the test, Ars Technica reports.
DeepBlue’s development push is part of a private space race that SpaceX has dominated. The private space launch sector is viewed as an industry potentially worth over $1 trillion. Private companies aim to decrease the cost of launches and profit from selling this capacity to governments and other enterprises. There are even plans to construct private space stations to either conduct experiments for profit or host billionaire space tourists.