[Russian media: China's private company successfully test-flew the first domestically produced reusable rocket]
On May 29th, RuNews24 reported that China's private aerospace company Interstellar Glory Technology (Sepoch) in Beijing successfully conducted the first test flight of its first reusable rocket "Yuanxingzhe-1" (Yuanxingzhe-1) on an offshore platform near the Shandong coastal area.
The launch was carried out at 4:40 AM local time on the 29th. The flight lasted about two minutes, and after reaching approximately 2.5 kilometers in altitude, the rocket made a controllable landing in the Yellow Sea. After landing, the rocket was recovered for subsequent analysis and reuse.
The vehicle is made of thin stainless steel and uses liquid oxygen and methane as fuel, which is more environmentally friendly than traditional propellants. The rocket has a takeoff mass of about 57 tons, is 26.8 meters long, and has a diameter of 4.2 meters.
Interstellar Glory stated that this demonstration flight fully met the test objectives and was an important step towards entering the full orbital launch market. The company became the first private institution in China to develop a medium-heavy reusable rocket based on methane fuel and stainless steel structure, with a technology approach similar to SpaceX's "Falcon 9".
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833513458852928/
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