深蓝航天 Deep Blue Limited – Deep Blue Aerospace Landspace One of sixty Chinese private space Carrier Rocket Companies in China-People’s Republic of China… As many of sixty plus Private Rocket Deep Blue Aerospace Co., Ltd. was established in 2017. The company is mainly a high-tech aerospace enterprise that focuses on the direction of liquid recovery and reusable launch vehicles and provides users with commercial launch services. Deep Blue Aerospace Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province. At the same time, the company has rocket general and liquid engine R&D centers in Yizhuang, Beijing and Xi’an, Shaanxi, respectively, and a rocket power system test base in Tongchuan, Shaanxi…..
During this Week and previously week of 25th March 2026 DeepBlue Aerospace’s first reusable launch vehicle, “Nebula-1,” has been confirmed to have successfully erected at the launch site in Haiyang, Shandong Province, and is undergoing final pre-launch tests. Its maiden flight is now in the countdown phase.] “Nebula-1” is a medium-sized two-stage liquid-fueled launch vehicle using liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants. It is approximately 30.2 meters long and 3.35 meters in diameter. It is a reusable rocket. The first stage is equipped with nine “Thunder R” engines developed by DeepBlue Aerospace, each with a ground thrust of approximately 20 tons, for a total first-stage thrust of approximately 180 tons. Its low Earth orbit payload capacity is approximately 2 tons.
[Deep Blue Aerospace’s Nebula-1 Launch Vehicle Scheduled for Maiden Flight After Chinese New Year] Deep Blue Aerospace’s}
Nebula-1 maiden flight rocket is undergoing final testing before heading to the launch site, specifically joint testing of its propulsion and electrical systems. The Nebula-1 rocket is approximately 30 meters long, with a first-stage diameter of 3.35 meters, and is equipped with nine Thunder R liquid oxygen/kerosene engines, enabling a near-Earth orbit payload capacity of approximately 2 tons. According to the plan
, Nebula-1 will depart for the Oriental Spaceport in Haiyang, Shandong Province in early January 2026, and will conduct its maiden flight after the Chinese New Year, simultaneously testing its orbital insertion and first-stage sea splashdown and recovery capabilities
Nebula
-1A Rocket System: 9+1 Thunderbolt R engines; Stages: 2; Payload Capacity: 2 tons @ LEO;
Rocket Diameter: First Stage 3.35m, Second Stage 2.25m; Engine System: Liquid oxygen/kerosene; First Launch: 2025
The Nebula-1 is China’s first privately developed reusable launch vehicle that challenges the “first flight followed by sea recovery” challenge. It is scheduled to make its maiden flight in Haiyang, Shandong in late March 2026. If successful, it will significantly reduce the cost of space launches.
I. Core Parameters and Task Objectives
- Basic Specifications :
- It is approximately 30.2 meters long, with a first-stage diameter of 3.35 meters and a second-stage diameter of 2.25 meters, and uses liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants.@Beijing Blue Dragon32
- The first stage is equipped with nine domestically developed “Thunder R” engines, each with a thrust of 20 tons, a total thrust of 180 tons, and a near-Earth orbit carrying capacity of 2 tons.1038
- Technical highlights : 85% of engine components are manufactured using 3D printing technology, supporting more than 3 ignitions per mission, and having ±7° thrust vectoring adjustment capability.@Kaldarwalich35
- First flight objective :
- It will simultaneously verify orbital insertion capability and first-stage vertical recovery technology at sea. If successful, it will become the world’s first privately-owned rocket to achieve “first flight and recovery”.736
- Recovery method: Precision landing via a sea splashdown platform, aiming to reduce launch costs by more than 70%.twenty four33
II. Latest Developments and Timelines
- Current status :
- The maiden flight rocket arrived at the Haiyang Oriental Spaceport in Shandong in January 2026, completed joint testing of the power system and electrical system, and entered the final debugging stage before launch.3437
- The launch site is ready and the command ship “Dongfang Hengyuan,” the sea recovery platform, is deployed and ready to go.1033
- Launch window :
- The launch is scheduled for late March 2026 (originally planned after the Spring Festival), which will form a wave of domestic reusable rocket maiden flights with CAS Space’s “Lijian-2” and Tianbing Technology’s “Tianlong-3”.@XuXiaKeFinance4145
III. Technology Verification Process and Challenges
- Key Experiments :
- In November 2025, the nine-engine parallel test was successfully completed, verifying the stability of multi-engine coordination. The test rocket body will be directly used for the maiden flight.twenty threetwenty four
- During the first high-altitude recovery test in September 2024, the rocket body tilted due to an abnormality in the engine thrust servo control during the landing phase. Of the 11 verification tasks, 10 were successful.@Beijing News WeSee…
- Risks and Improvements :
- This maiden flight requires overcoming two major technical bottlenecks: precise control of high-altitude reverse thrust and stability of landing on the sea platform . In particular, sea recovery is more difficult due to the influence of wind and waves.1330
IV. Industry Significance and Strategic Value
- Breakthrough in Commercial Spaceflight :
- If successful, China will have its first private aerospace company to achieve a complete closed loop of “orbit insertion + recovery,” propelling space transportation into an era of low cost and high frequency.1335
- Together with “Zhuque-3” and “Lijian-2”, it forms China’s reusable rocket technology matrix, aiming to rival SpaceX’s Starship V3.4144
- Impact on the industrial chain :
- This has driven the localization of core rocket components, including upstream and downstream companies such as titanium alloy structural parts (Superjet Technology) and sensor networks (Gaohua Technology).@青男游神12
- Accelerate downstream applications such as “space photovoltaics” and “satellite networking” to support the national “10,000 satellites into orbit” plan.1336
Images and visuals are from their Respectives.