Screenrant by By Joseph Maring 8/5/2021
Hyperbola-1 launched into the air on August 3. Unfortunately, something went wrong and the rocket failed to reach orbit. Here's what happened.
i-Space recently conducted a launch of its Hyperbola-1 rocket, but unfortunately, the launch ended up being a complete failure. i-Space is a private space exploration company based in Beijing and is often seen as a competitor to other private entities like SpaceX and Blue Origin. In the past few years, these private space agencies have become instrumental in space exploration as a whole. SpaceX recently secured a $178 million contract from NASA to explore Europa, Blue Origin helped launch the oldest and youngest people ever into space, and foreign companies like i-Space are hoping to achieve similar levels of success.
For i-Space, however, getting to that point has been an uphill battle. One of the flagship rockets for the company is Hyperbola-1. Hyperbola-1's first launch in July 2019 was a success, but when i-Space tried launching an upgraded version in February 2021, the mission failed. Hyperbola-1 lost control almost immediately after liftoff, with i-Space chalking it up to foam insulation that got stuck in its grid fins.
i-Space held its third launch for Hyperbola-1 on August 3 with hopes of turning things around. Unfortunately for the company, it ended up being another failure. The failed launch was officially confirmed by Chinese news network Xinhua and further reported on by NASASpaceFlight. While there's no video of the launch itself, Twitter user Launch Stuff shared a video that shows Hyperbola-1's shakey trajectory across the bright blue sky.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1422469229664743459More:
https://screenrant.com/i-space-failed-launch-hyperbola-1-spacex-competitor/
