Deep Blue Aerospace Completes 5-Meter Nebula-2 Propellant Tank
Chinese aerospace firm Deep Blue Aerospace announced that a 5-meter-diameter stainless steel propellant tank for its Nebula-2 rocket has left the assembly line, setting a size record for China’s private space sector.
The Nebula-2 is a launch vehicle powered by 11 Thunder-RS engines that produce unos 12.446 kN de empuje al despegue, as reported by Interesting Engineering. Its second stage features a single vacuum-optimized engine. Together, the system aims to transport up to 25 metric tons to low Earth orbit while targeting over 20 reuses to lower production costs.
Mechanical Arms Replace Landing Legs on Launch Towers
Deep Blue Aerospace will construct a launch tower equipped with massive articulated mechanical arms to replicate SpaceX’s Mechazilla catch maneuver. Scheduled for its first test flights in 2027, the methane and liquid oxygen (metalox) orbital launcher will abandon traditional heavy landing legs.
Portals of analysis such as SpaceNews indicate that eliminating onboard telescoping landing legs saves up to three metric tons of dead structural weight. Engineering teams from the company, based in Jiangsu, state that shedding this mass directly increases the vehicle’s payload capacity for low Earth orbit satellite deployment.
China Pursues Rapid Reusability for Mega-Constellations
The race to catch boosters mid-air supports China’s push to increase launch cadences for two major national satellite megaconstellations, Guowang and Qianfan, which are designed to compete directly with Starlink. Deep Blue Aerospace joins other domestic private firms like LandSpace, Galactic Energy, and iSpace in vying for state commercial contracts.
China’s broader reusable rocket testing schedule has accelerated. On July 10, developers recovered a Long March-10B rocket using a shipboard net system, while LandSpace recovered its Zhuque-3 Y2 booster on landing legs on August 19. Before attempting tower captures, Deep Blue Aerospace plans low-altitude vertical takeoff and landing tests with scale prototypes in the Inner Mongolia desert.
Nebula-2 Flies in 2027 with Metalox Propulsion
When is Nebula-2 scheduled to fly?
Deep Blue Aerospace has scheduled the first test flights for the Nebula-2 launch vehicle in 2027.
What propellant does the Nebula-2 use?
The rocket uses a metalox propulsion system powered by liquid oxygen and methane, which leaves minimal carbon residue and facilitates rapid engine reuse without heavy mechanical overhauls.
How much payload can Nebula-2 carry into orbit?
The vehicle is designed to carry up to 25 metric tons to low Earth orbit.
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