China's reusable rocket completes take-off, landing test

BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's commercial reusable rocket SQX-2Y has successfully completed a vertical take-off and landing flight test, according to its developer i-Space, a Beijing-based rocket developer.

The 17-meter-tall demonstration rocket, designed to verify reusable carrier rocket technology, was lifted off at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

Propelled by a liquid oxygen methane engine, the rocket stage flew off the ground reaching an altitude of 178.42 meters. After more than 50 seconds, it landed at the target site smoothly at a speed of 0.025 meters per second. The landing position accuracy was about 1.68 meters.

Through this test mission, the core data of key technologies have been obtained, and the mission has provided technical support for the development of medium and large reusable liquid oxygen methane rockets, according to i-Space.