Dahang Yueqian Completes Static Structural Test of the Second-Stage Instrument Bay for Yueqian-1

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 22, Dahang Yueqian announced that its maiden-flight rocket, Yueqian-1, had completed a static structural test of its second-stage instrument bay. The test assessed the load-bearing capacity of the instrument bay structure under design load conditions, and the results showed that the structural strength, stiffness, and stability all met the design specifications. The company is currently advancing the development of the Yueqian-1 maiden-flight rocket, with the goal of completing its first flight in 2027.

Yueqian-1 is a medium-to-large reusable liquid launch vehicle under development by Dahang Yueqian, featuring a two-stage configuration and a tower-capture recovery technical approach. According to information on Dahang Yueqian's official website, this rocket model is designed for launch missions with a payload capacity of over 10 tonnes; its first stage uses multiple liquid oxygen-methane engines in parallel and is designed in accordance with reusable requirements, with a maximum planned reuse count of 20 for the first stage. The company has advanced this model to the maiden-flight engineering phase.

This instrument bay test is one of a series of structural and system-level ground verification projects that Yueqian-1 has continuously advanced since 2026. At the end of June, the rocket completed a natural circulation pre-cooling test of the first-stage liquid methane pressurization and delivery system. The systems involved in the test included a simulated tank, pressurization and delivery pipelines, and engine simulators, and the flow rate, temperature, and other parameters obtained from the test were consistent with the simulation results. In August, Yueqian-1 completed a combined static test of the second-stage thrust frame and the aft dome of the tank, applying load assessments to the strength, stiffness, and stability of the main structure.

In terms of second-stage structure development, the new aft-dome load-bearing thrust frame previously completed by Dahang Yueqian adopts a lightweight structural design and reserves more than 40 universal interfaces for engines, pipelines, and onboard equipment. After the completion of the combined static test of the second-stage thrust frame and the aft dome of the tank, the instrument bay structure has now continued to pass static load assessments, further advancing the ground verification of the second-stage structural components of the maiden-flight rocket toward the system integration phase.

Yueqian-1 also previously completed a full-system coordination hot-fire test of its auxiliary power system. This system adopts a helium-pressurized bipropellant attitude control propulsion scheme and consists of components including tanks, gas cylinders, 300N engines, 100N engines, and valves, and has entered the batch production stage. Dahang Yueqian also completed the temperature and mechanical environment tests of the Huoshi control system as well as ground verification work for tower-capture recovery.