The firm is aiming to become the first Chinese company to launch and safely land a rocket first stage from an orbital launch with Nebula-1.
To this end, Deep Blue Aerospace aims to conduct a 100-kilometer-level vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) test with a Nebula-1 first stage before the end of August. This will effectively test a full duration full stage flight and use a flight product rather than prototype. The company notably performed a Chinese first with a successful kilometer-level VTVL test with a test article in May 2022.
Interesting that they're not bothering to put a second stage on top of what could otherwise be an orbital flight.
The company will then work towards an orbital flight of the kerosene-liquid oxygen Nebula-1 rocket. Deep Blue Aerospace earlier this year stated its aim of conducting the first orbital flight before the end of 2024. However, this timeline was not explicitly stated in the Aug. 13 funding announcement.
The Nebula-1 is a two-stage, 3.35-meter-diameter launcher. The kerosene-liquid oxygen-fueled rocket will use nine variable thrust, 3D-printed Thunder-R1 engines on its first stage, and a single engine on the second. It will be capable of carrying 2,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit (LEO). Alternatively it can launch 1,000 kg to 500 km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).
Right, so it's somewhere between an Electron and a Falcon 9, with the same engine layout and propellant type.