Photo: Courtesy of iSpace

 
Chinese private rocket firm iSpace announced that it has completed an investigation into its rocket launch failure on August 3, adding that it will ramp up efforts in management and technology improvement, the Global Times learned from the firm on Tuesday.

The rocket in question, codenamed SQX-1 (Hyperbola-1) Y5, failed to send the payload to its planned orbit after the launch on August 3, as the separation of its nose cone was unsuccessful. The research team located the problem in an investigation lasting more than 100 days after the unsuccessful launch.

The August failure was the second consecutive failure of this rocket type in less than six months, following a first one on February 1. 

The firm said in a statement that during the final assembly process, the silicone rubber in parts of the fairing adhered to the windshield, resulting in the fairing not being separated, which led to the failure of the flight test.

In July 2019, iSpace's carrier rocket successfully sent satellites in orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, marking a milestone for China's commercial space industry as it was the first private space firm to do so. 

In January it was reported that the firm was planning to conduct an IPO in the STAR Market in Shanghai. If the listing goes ahead, iSpace will become the first commercial rocket firm to go public in China.