Deep Blue Aerospace (深蓝航天) is a Chinese commercial launch startup built around vertically landing, reusable kerosene-liquid oxygen rockets - positioning itself as one of China's closest analogs to early SpaceX.
Latest update Oct 11, 2026
01
Founded in 2016 and now headquartered in Wuxi's Xinwu High-tech Zone (with a Beijing R&D office), it employs more than 400 people and has flown a series of VTVL hop tests, most notably a September 2024 high-altitude flight that completed 10 of 11 objectives with ~0.5 m landing accuracy before an anomaly during the final engine shutdown damaged the stage on touchdown. The company is preparing the maiden flight of its medium-lift Nebula-1, which can loft up to 2,000 kg to LEO on nine Thunder-R engines and is designed for first-stage recovery; the first Nebula-1A vehicle was rolled out in March 2026 to a new sea-recovery pad on Lianli Island at Haiyang - which reached full launch-capable status after an integrated test mission on March 30-31, 2026. The originally targeted mid-2026 debut remains unflown as of mid-September 2026, with launch trackers still listing the demo no earlier than December 2026 and describing the first test profile as suborbital. The company's engine page now lists Thunder-R at 283 kN sea-level / 335 kN vacuum (up from previously listed 237/268 kN); March 2026 vehicle coverage still cited about 22 t each on the first Nebula-1A. Deep Blue is also developing the much larger Nebula-2 (25,000+ kg to LEO; Thunder-RS passed a 100-second, 1,297.5 kN static fire in August 2026 and is rated 1,300 kN sea-level / 1,500 kN vacuum on the company engine page) and has begun pre-selling suborbital space-tourism tickets for flights targeted in 2027.
dbaspace.comUpdated Sep 15, 2026
02
2026-2027
Turn a successful debut into first-stage reuse and recurring commercial small/medium launches for China's satellite-internet and Earth-observation constellations. Still gated on the Nebula-1 maiden flight, which remains unflown as of 15 September 2026.
2026+
Advance the larger 5 m-diameter Nebula-2, designed to carry more than 25,000 kg to LEO, to broaden Deep Blue's reach into heavy constellation deployment. Its Thunder-RS first-stage engine passed a first 100-second full-duration static fire (1,297.5 kN / ~132.3 t) on August 21, 2026, and the company engine page now rates it at 1,300 kN sea-level / 1,500 kN vacuum. 2025 funding coverage said the first stage would cluster 11 engines. No maiden-flight date has been confirmed.
Late 2026
Fly the first Nebula-1A from the now fully operational Haiyang sea pad and attempt a controlled first-stage recovery. As of 15 September 2026 the debut remains unflown; launch trackers still list it no earlier than 31 December 2026 and describe the first test profile as suborbital rather than a full orbital insertion.
2027
Mature the suborbital tourism vehicle toward its first paying passengers after pre-selling 1.5 million-yuan tickets, with service still targeted for 2027. No new ticket-sale or vehicle-test update has been published since the October 2024 pre-sale.
Late 2027
03
Jiangsu Deep Blue Aerospace said on September 24 it had completed two financing rounds totaling nearly 20 billion yuan. Securities Times identified the rounds as B6 and B7 and listed returning shareholders including Wuxi High-tech Zone Investment Holding Group, Zhuoyuan Capital and Zhengyue Investment, alongside Addor Capital, Oceanpine, listed Boton Technology, Hongrun Construction and Youluoka. China Securities Journal reported the same company disclosure and said proceeds will fund Nebula-1 work and deeper development of the larger Nebula-2 reusable rocket. The company did not publish an exact combined figure, a post-money valuation, or a new Nebula-1 flight date.
Deep Blue Aerospace completed a 100-second full-duration static fire of its up-rated Thunder-RS engine around August 21-22, reaching about 1,297.5 kilonewtons of thrust and crossing the 100-second steady-state qualification threshold for the first time. The engine is being developed for the larger Nebula-2 rocket, following a series of shorter test firings with no anomalies.
Deep Blue Aerospace scheduled the debut test flight of its reusable Nebula-1 rocket for June 30 from a sea-launch pad at Haiyang's Oriental Spaceport. The 30.2-meter vehicle, powered by nine Thunder-R engines for about 198 tons of thrust and rated for 2,000 kg to low Earth orbit, was to fly a suborbital profile and attempt a controlled vertical landing at sea, supported by the company's newly readied recovery ship. The debut booster carries grid fins but no landing legs, framing the flight as a key reusability demonstration.
04
Two-stage, partially reusable kerosene–liquid oxygen medium-lift rocket with a vertically landing first stage powered by nine Thunder-R engines. The Nebula-1A debut variant adds grid fins and sea-recovery capability for a first-stage splashdown.
Reusable kerosene-liquid oxygen rocket engine in Deep Blue's Leiting (Thunder) family. Nine Thunder-R engines power the Nebula-1 first stage.
Larger, five-meter-diameter kerosene-liquid oxygen heavy-lift rocket stepping up from Nebula-1, designed to carry more than 25,000 kg to LEO on a cluster of up-rated Thunder-RS engines with planned first-stage recovery and reuse.
Up-rated, ~130-tonne-class kerosene-liquid oxygen engine in Deep Blue's Leiting (Thunder) family, using needle-valve injection and deep throttling, developed to power the Nebula-2 first stage with planned reuse.
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~$266M disclosed across Series A-B4 plus Youluoka's ~$14M (100M yuan) strategic investment, which closed in April 2026. No newer round has been announced as of mid-September 2026.
(~RMB 5B), as of the August 2024 Series B3 close. No newer post-money figure has been published.
company and SpaceNews figures; Wikipedia's Nebula-1 infobox lists 2,800 kg, which is not used here without a matching primary source
Company engine page lists 283 kN sea-level / 335 kN vacuum each; March 2026 Nebula-1A vehicle coverage still cited about 22 t (~216 kN) each, for ~198 t clustered.
Nebula-1 maiden flight still unflown as of 15 Sep 2026; launch trackers list the demo no earlier than 31 Dec 2026 and call the first test profile suborbital
(~132.3 t) over 100 seconds, ~Aug 21, 2026 - first time past the 100s steady-state threshold. Company engine page now rates Thunder-RS at 1,300 kN sea-level / 1,500 kN vacuum.
Still unpublished as an exact figure as of 29 Sept 2026. China Securities Journal, Securities Times (B6 and B7) and PEDaily all say nearly RMB 2 billion combined. No post-money valuation was printed. Nebula-1 debut remains unflown and still listed NET December 2026.
Securities Times/STCN: nearly 20 yi yuan combined (nearly RMB 2 billion), not 20 billion yuan. No post-money valuation. Proceeds for Nebula-1 and Nebula-2 development.
Chinese homepage and engine_s.html: 1240 kN sea-level / 1480 kN vacuum. English engine.html: 1300 kN / 1500 kN. Split unchanged.
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Operating status
Pre-orbital - in development
Exact B6/B7 RMB figure and post-money valuation remain unpublished as of 11 Oct 2026. Company Weibo on 24 Sept and Securities Times still print nearly 20 yi yuan (nearly RMB 2 billion), not 20 billion yuan. Proceeds are for Nebula-1 and Nebula-2 development. Official WeChat (Jiangsu Deep Blue Aerospace) and official Weibo on 20 Sept posted Thunder R2.0 at the 30-tonne class with a first 200-second fire for Nebula-1 vehicle 2; Wuxi Daily on 27 Sept is later local coverage. dbaspace.com homepage and engine pages still do not name R2.0 or a 200-second fire. Chinese homepage/engine_s.html list Thunder-RS at 1240 kN / 1480 kN; English engine.html lists 1300 / 1500 kN. Company Weibo on 28 Aug also claimed a Thunder-RS 200-second fire after the 21 Aug 100-second fire. Headcount still 400-plus. Nebula-1 debut remains unflown; spacelaunchschedule still lists the demo NET 31 Dec 2026 as suborbital.
Reusable Launch Services (planned)
Low-cost, high-cadence reusable launches on Nebula-1 (and later Nebula-2) for China's commercial satellite and mega-constellation market, once first-stage recovery and reuse are demonstrated.
Suborbital Space Tourism (planned)
Crewed suborbital tourism flights, with tickets pre-sold at 1.5 million yuan (~$210K) each ahead of a targeted 2027 service start.
07
How past announced dates turned out.
0/1announced date hit on time
Nebula-1 maiden flight & first-stage recovery in mid-2026
Target Mid-2026 · Resolved Jul 11, 2026
Mid-2026 passed without the Nebula-1 debut, extending a slip history that stretches back to an originally planned late-2024 first flight; launch trackers now list the demo flight no earlier than December 2026. The milestone was rescheduled to late 2026.
08
2026
Official WeChat and Weibo confirm Thunder R2.0 200-second fire
On 20 September 2026 the Jiangsu Deep Blue Aerospace WeChat account and official Weibo posted that Thunder R2.0 reached the 30-tonne class and completed its first 200-second long-duration static fire for Nebula-1 vehicle 2. People's Daily finance the same morning attributed the item to a company message; Taibo attributed it to the official WeChat account. Wuxi Daily on 27 September is later local coverage, not the first company disclosure. The company website engine pages still do not name R2.0.
Corrects B6/B7 unit: nearly RMB 2 billion (20 yi yuan), not 20 billion
Securities Times e-company (24 Sept 2026, also reprinted on Sina) said Jiangsu Deep Blue Aerospace completed B6 and B7 totaling nearly 20 yi yuan, i.e. nearly RMB 2 billion, not 20 billion yuan. The same articles say proceeds go to Nebula-1 development and deeper Nebula-2 work, not to a completed flight. No exact closed amount or post-money valuation was printed. An earlier timeline row that said nearly 20 billion yuan used the wrong unit.
Wuxi Daily: Thunder R2.0 200-second fire; Nebula-2 late-2027 target
Wuxi Daily reported on 27 September 2026 that Deep Blue's Thunder R2.0 engine had been upgraded to the 30-tonne class and had completed its first 200-second long-duration static fire, intended to raise the capability of the second Nebula-1 vehicle. The same article, attributing the date as revealed rather than as a dated company press release, said Nebula-2 is planned for a first flight at the end of 2027. China Securities Journal and Securities Times coverage of B6/B7 did not include these engine details.
Closes B6 and B7 rounds totaling nearly RMB 2 billion
On 24 September 2026 Jiangsu Deep Blue Aerospace said it had completed two financing rounds totaling nearly 20 billion yuan. Securities Times identified the rounds as B6 and B7 and named returning shareholders including Wuxi High-tech Zone Investment Holding Group, Zhuoyuan Capital and Zhengyue Investment. Proceeds are for Nebula-1 development and deeper Nebula-2 work. No exact amount, valuation or new first-flight date was published.
Thunder-RS engine passes 100-second full-duration static fire
Around August 21-22, 2026, the up-rated Thunder-RS engine - developed for the larger Nebula-2 - completes its first 100-second full-duration static fire, reaching 1,297.5 kN (~132.3 tonnes) of thrust and crossing the 100-second steady-state qualification threshold for the first time after earlier shorter test fires.
Youluoka supply-chain partnership and strategic investment
In March 2026 mining-equipment maker Youluoka (Jingzhun Information, Shenzhen-listed 300099) signs a strategic cooperation agreement with Deep Blue Aerospace to machine and supply core components (pumps, valves, combustion chambers, structural parts) for the Thunder-series kerolox engines and build an aerospace-grade quality system. Youluoka's separately announced ~100 million yuan (~$14M) strategic investment in Deep Blue closed in April 2026 - the equity payment has been completed, with only corporate-registration paperwork still pending.
Nebula-1A rolled out and Haiyang pad goes operational
In March 2026 the first Nebula-1A is erected on a newly built sea-recovery launch pad on Lianli Island at Haiyang, Shandong. An integrated test mission on March 30–31, 2026 demonstrated the platform's full capability to support rocket launches, clearing the way for a debut orbital flight - now targeted for mid-2026 - that will attempt a first-stage splashdown recovery.
2025
2024
Pre-sells suborbital space-tourism tickets
In October 2024 Deep Blue begins a livestreamed pre-sale of suborbital space-tourism tickets at 1.5 million yuan (~$210K) each, targeting first crewed tourist flights in 2027.
High-altitude hop test crashes on landing
On September 22, 2024, a Nebula-1 first stage flies a high-altitude VTVL test from the Ejin Banner site in Inner Mongolia, completing 10 of 11 verification objectives with ~0.5 m landing accuracy before an anomaly during the final engine shutdown causes a hard, damaging landing.
2021
2016
09
$394Mdisclosed across 5 rounds with a stated amount
Cumulative disclosed raise · dated rounds
Series A
2022-01
Chinese venture and strategic investors
Series B2
2024-07
Wuxi High-tech Zone Investment Holding Group (lead)
Series B3
2024-08
Undisclosed (cumulative funding since the May 2024 Series B passed ~$140M / RMB 1B, at a ~$700M / RMB 5B valuation)
Zhengyue Investment and Zhenghe Yunfan Fund (co-lead); Xiamen City and Jimei District
Series B4
2025-03
Taian Yuanwang New Energy Industry Investment Fund (subsidiary of Taishan Industrial Development Investment Group)
Strategic investment (Youluoka)
2026-04
Youluoka (Jingzhun Information, Shenzhen-listed 300099), a mining-equipment maker turned strategic supply-chain partner
Series B6/B7
2026-09
Nearly RMB 2 billion combined (company: nearly 20 billion yuan; exact figure not published)
Wuxi High-tech Zone Investment Holding Group, Addor Capital, Oceanpine, Xichuang Investment, Shanghai Free Trade Zone Fund, Boton Technology, Hongrun Construction, Youluoka, Zhuoyuan Capital, Wanshi Capital and others
