INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A year after its rocket accidentally lifted off and then crashed during a test, Beijing-based start-up Space Pioneer has redesigned the
vehicle and shown that it can withstand the intense forces of launch.
In a recent ground-based test in central China, the company used the
rocket’s nine-engine first stage – which produces nearly 900 tonnes of thrust combined – to simulate key mission phases, including
fuelling, lift-off, flight and recovery.
The structure held up under all test conditions, the...
