On July 21, 2024, the "Nebula-1" carrier rocket successfully completed a series of test runs of a sub-stage and three parallel full-time power systems at the Shenlan Jigang Test Base in Jinan City, simulating the full working conditions of high-altitude recovery flight and a wide range of engine thrust test runs.
Next, in August this year, the rocket body will go to the test site to prepare for the upcoming high-altitude vertical recovery flight test of the first substage of the "Nebula-1" rocket, and will also choose an opportunity to carry out the vertical recovery flight test of the 100-kilometer rocket. The Nebula-1 rocket is gradually moving towards its first flight.
The main engine is fully 3D printed and manufactured
NEBULA-1 is a medium-sized cryogenic liquid launch vehicle being developed by Jiangsu Shenlan Aerospace Co., Ltd., which is a partially reusable rocket and can be recycled and reused multiple times in the first stage. The arrow adopts a tandem two-stage configuration, and the first and second main forces are "Thunder-R1" liquid oxygen kerosene engines.
“雷霆-R1”（Thunder Reusable 1）液氧煤油发动机示意图
The first stage of the main power of the arrow adopts multiple engines in parallel, and is equipped with nine "Thunder Reusable 1" (Thunder Reusable 1) liquid oxygen kerosene engines. "Thunder-R1" is the first kerosene engine with needle bolt technology in China, which adopts a pump swing design, compact structure, and is manufactured by full 3D printing, which greatly reduces the number of parts. The ground thrust of the engine is about 6.12∼21.94 tons (60~215 kN), with the ability to change thrust in depth, the thrust adjustment range is 30%∼110%, and the number of repeated starts in a single flight is not less than 3 times. To support recycling and reuse, the first stage is also equipped with a Sanger wing and landing legs. The second stage is equipped with one "Thunder-R1" liquid oxygen kerosene engine with a vacuum thrust of about 7.65∼27.04 tons (75-265 kN).
Schematic diagram of the Nebula-1 launch vehicle
The "Nebula-1" rocket has a height of more than 30 meters, a diameter of 3.35 meters for the first and second stages, optional fairings with diameters of 2.25 meters and 3.35 meters, and a capacity of 2 tons in low earth orbit (LEO) and 1 ton in 500 kilometers of sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). After that, the capacity of the improved low-earth orbit of the "Nebula-1" will be significantly increased to 8 tons.
The first flight into orbit is recovered
It is expected that by the end of 2024, the "Nebula-1" carrier rocket will make its first flight from Station 2 of the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. In the first flight mission, Deep Blue Aerospace will recover the first stage of the rocket. The first attempt to recover the launch vehicle on its first flight into orbit will be the first time in China's space history.
In the era of commercial spaceflight, the space launch demand represented by the large-scale networking of low-orbit constellations requires launch vehicles to provide low-cost and high-frequency launch services, and it is the only way to build recyclable and reusable rockets. In the process of recycling and reuse, the cost can be greatly reduced through multiple reuse, the frequency of transmission can be greatly improved through rapid turnover, and the flight data accumulated through high-frequency transmission will help the upgrade iteration of the rocket and improve the reliability. The first stage of the "Nebula-1" accounts for more than 80% of the total cost of the whole arrow, and the launch cost can be reduced by an order of magnitude through multiple recovery and reuse.
Deep Blue Aerospace "Nebula No. 1" took the lead in trying to recycle, stemming from its profound technology accumulation. On July 23, 2021, Deep Blue Aerospace completed the first domestic liquid oxygen kerosene rocket vertical take-off and vertical landing (VTVL) free flight ("grasshopper jump"). In the following three years, Deep Blue Aerospace carried out flight tests, engine tests, joint commissioning of the first-stage recovery landing section system and drop tests around the reusable launch vehicle target, laying a solid foundation for the development of reusable launch vehicles.
The first flight of "Nebula-1" into orbit will be recovered, which is expected to promote Deep Blue Aerospace to embark on the channel of rapid cost decline and take the lead in commercial aerospace. In today's commercial aerospace field in China, almost all launch vehicle development companies take reusable launch vehicles as the ultimate goal, but due to the technical difficulty of achieving the goal of recycling and reuse, most of the companies adopt a strategy of running in small steps and step-by-step, and there is a certain distance from orbit recovery. Deep Blue Aerospace is one step ahead in rocket recycling and reuse technology reserves, and is closer to realizing the recycling and reuse of launch vehicles, and is expected to take the lead in establishing the advantages of low-cost and high-frequency launch services and seize the opportunity in the commercial launch service market.
Bigger, stronger Nebula 2
For Deep Blue Aerospace, "Nebula-1" is its "stepping stone" to the space launch service market, but it cannot become a heavyweight "weapon" to meet the market's demand for large capacity. To this end, Deep Blue Aerospace is also developing a large rocket "Nebula II".
"Nebula-2" is a large cryogenic liquid launch vehicle, using a two-stage tandem configuration, which is a partially recoverable and reusable rocket, and the first stage is equipped with a Sanger wing and landing legs, which can realize multiple recovery and reuse, and support recovery under the route. The main power of the first stage of the arrow adopts multi-engine parallel, equipped with 9 "Super Thunder" liquid oxygen kerosene engines, and the second stage is equipped with 1 "Super Thunder" engine. The first and second stages of the arrow have a diameter of 5 meters, a take-off scale of 1,000 tons, and a low earth orbit (LEO) capacity of up to 20 tons. According to the plan, the rocket will make its first flight into orbit and recover the first stage from the end of 2025 to the beginning of 2026.
The configuration mode, power type and layout, recovery scheme, volume and capacity of the "Nebula 2" are close to the "Falcon 9", and it is undoubtedly a type of "Chinese Falcon". The large carrying capacity provided by "Nebula-2" will help Deep Blue Aerospace to move towards the main track of the commercial space launch service market, and the development of the arrow is realized on the basis of the "Nebula-1" recyclable rocket, which is an enlarged version of "Nebula-1". From this point of view, the development and application of "Nebula-1" is of great significance to both Deep Blue Aerospace itself and the commercial space launch market.
Author: Mulan Xingzhou