Edinburgh, 9 May 2022. – Chinese space startup LinkSpace, carried out a static fire test of its Reusable Launch Vehicle T6 (RLV-T6) equipped with new Fengbao-1 methane-fueled engines, the company said.
The 14.5-meter tall rocket will be launched to the Kármán line (100 km) and then landed with the help of landing legs and grid fins. LinkSpace plans to carry out high-altitude environment, biological and other experiments during the flight as well.
The development, and demonstration follows almost three years of apparent inactivity on the company’s part. LinkSpace was founded in 2014 and has since developed reusable test articles for vertical takeoff and landing tests.
The company performed two demonstrations in 2019 with the RLV-T5 launch vehicle. The second test reached just over 300 meters and concluded with a successful landing. After LinkSpace signed a contract for new, more powerful engines, the company went quiet.