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A private Chinese space start-up announced on Friday that it has completed ground hot-fire tests for the auxiliary propulsion system of liquid rocket engines of Leap-1 launch vehicle. The company Cosmoleap claimed that Leap-1 launch vehicle could be China's first reusable liquid rocket designed for recovery with a "chopstick" tower, similar to SpaceX's chopstick system.

Currently, the auxiliary propulsion system of the Leap-1 launch vehicle has entered the system-level engineering development stage, during which system-level coordination hot-fire tests will be conducted, the company said in a post on its WeChat account.

The auxiliary propulsion system of the Leap-1 launch vehicle is designed to enable precise control of the rocket's pitch, yaw, and roll during various flight stages, the statement said. The ground hot-fire tests of the 100N and 300N engines covered a range of assessments, including steady-state long-duration operation under rated conditions, pulse performance, pulse lifespan, and large-range condition offset testing, comprehensively evaluated the engines' performance and reliability.

According to the company, the test results showed that "the engines demonstrate quality performance, stable operation, and reliable structure." Also, the technical specifications fully meet the overall requirements, and the products are ready to support flight test missions.

Cosmoleap, founded in March 2024, announced in November that it has begun the chopstick tower recovery tests.

In addition to the start-up, some private Chinese space companies have also been testing the rocket recovery technology.

According to a report by 21jingji.com, Deep Blue Aerospace will conduct a rocket recovery test this year, and will carry out a 100-kilometer recovery test and an orbital re-entry recovery test between February and April. If successful, the Chinese startup will become only the second company after SpaceX to launch and catch a returning rocket using mechanical "chopsticks," the report said.

Global Times