SpaceX-style rocket recovery achieved by China’s Space Epoch over eastern seas
SMRTR summary
Off the coast of Shandong Province, a stainless steel rocket gracefully splashed down into the sea, marking a milestone for Chinese aerospace startup Space Epoch. The 26.8-meter-tall Yanxingzhe-1 rocket briefly hovered above the water's surface before executing a soft vertical landing, showcasing China's burgeoning private space sector.
This successful sea recovery test puts Space Epoch in the race to develop China's first operational reusable launch vehicles, following in the footsteps of SpaceX's pioneering efforts in the U.S.
"The success of this flight recovery test is a breakthrough in the development process of liquid reusable rockets," Space Epoch declared on WeChat.
As Chinese companies make rapid strides in reusable technology, some in the U.S. space industry warn that overregulation could give China the edge. SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell cautioned, "Regulation in the United States – and globally, except maybe China – is slowing technology down."
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Interesting Engineering.
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