Space Epoch Goes Rocket Fishing
Following a reusable rocket test, the Yuanxingzhe-1 test vehicle was recovered and inspected.
Last week on May 29th, Space Epoch performed its first reusable rocket test, which culminated in a successful soft splashdown off the coast of Haiyang. The company did not detail recovery efforts following the test, but new information was shared earlier today.
For a splashdown 125 seconds after liftoff, the Yuanxingzhe-1 vertical takeoff vertical landing test vehicle, 4.2 meters in diameter and 26.8 meters long, utilized the final seconds of its powered landing to pitch the vehicle over to place it onto its desired side in the water. In the water, the vehicle gradually moved into its floating stable state with most of the engine section underwater, due to the lack of fuel in the propellant tanks, while the top of the vehicle was above the water.
Once stable in the water, the test vehicle performed its passivation process, venting out remaining propellant and safing engine systems. Following passivisation, a few teams on boats verified the condition of the vehicle before attaching tow lines, slowly bringing the Yuanxingzhe-1 test vehicle back to shore to be lifted out via two cranes, then being placed on a truck for a brief trip to a company facility nearby.
After arriving at Space Epoch’s Haiyang facility, the test vehicle went through a series of post-flight inspections and hardware washing, one of which included pumping a clear water appearing fluid1 through the engine to remove seawater and its byproducts. Those inspections looked for any deformations across the vehicle, of which there were a few.
Space Epoch states that no major damage was produced from the test and the vehicle is in good condition, possibly to fly again.
Alongside sharing details on the recovery, Space Epoch also stated the following for the future of the Yuanxingzhe-1 launch vehicle recovery:
“So far, Space Epoch has completed the full-process closed-loop practical test from launch recovery, precise splashdown, salvage and cleaning, and return to factory inspection for the first time, accumulating rich experience and safety data for offshore recovery and processing, and laying a solid foundation for the "first flight into orbit and recovery" mission of the Yuanxingzhe-1 carrier rocket. In the future, we will disassemble and inspect the products, and return the storage tanks, engines, servo mechanisms, valves, cylinders and other key products to the factory for testing and evaluation, to further verify the reusability of the recovered products, so please look forward to it!”
“Space Epoch will continue to adhere to safe and healthy development, adhere to the bottom line of safety, strictly control quality, and steadily advance the first flight of the Yuanxingzhe-1 carrier rocket, contributing to the breakthrough of [China]’s reusable carrier rocket technology.”
As was noted following the hop test, lessons learned will inform the development of the two-stage partially reusable Yuanxingzhe-1 launch vehicle. Refining sea-based recovery techniques will be critical for Space Epoch to routinely re-fly the vehicles’ first-stage boosters to enable regular and affordable orbital launches.
Space Epoch Conducts Reusable Rocket Hop!
Space Epoch, also known as SEPOCH or Jianyuan Technology (箭元科技), performed its first hop test using its Yuanxingzhe-1 (元行者一号) vertical takeoff vertical landing test vehicle off the coast of Haiyang (海阳市).
What was pumped through the engine was not shared, and I am by no means confidently knowledgeable about what fluids would be used to clean out a rocket engine.