With a length of 29.5ft and a weight of 7.2 tons, the rocket reached a
hypersonic speed of Mach 5.7 (5.7 times the speed of sound, or 1.2 miles
a second). It reached an altitude of 24 miles.
The mission verified the rocket’s overall design and reliability, the company said.
It fulfilled a long, controllable flight, carrying a payload for
Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute, affiliated to Aviation
Industry Corp of China, obtaining a great deal of data for the rocket
designers and the institute.
The company said the craft adopted several instruments that were new to Chinese rockets, such as the
drag-mitigating pole and built-in communications devices.
Inspired by Elon Musk and his legendary company SpaceX, at least four private
Chinese companies – OneSpace, LandSpace, LinkSpace and i-Space – have
announced plans to develop, make and launch carrier rockets. Through the
mission on 17 May, OneSpace has become the first to realise the goal.
Research and development of the OS-X took only one year. OneSpace said its
designers and engineers can develop and produce almost all key parts of a
rocket, and that many of them have worked for State-owned space
contractors.
OS-X’s maximum speed is Mach 20, or 4.2 miles a second. The rocket will be used mainly to conduct proof-of-concept
flights for new-concept aircraft or spacecraft developed by OneSpace’s
customers to verify their aerodynamic designs. Many domestic institutes
have designed new kinds of aircraft and spacecraft, and they need to be
tested on top of a rocket to see whether their design will work.
OneSpace, established in 2015, a year now widely deemed as the opening chapter of
China’s commercial space industry, has become a rising star in the
country’s space arena, which has long been dominated by State-owned
giants. Its rapid growth has been possible thanks to the government’s
efforts to foster the commercial space sector and encourage
participation from private companies.
The company has taken advantage of the government’s measures to get the civilian and defence
sectors to work more closely with one another, Shu Chang, founder and
chief executive of OneSpace, said at a news conference on 17 May after
the launch.
