On February 10th, reports emerged that Deep Blue Aerospace has recently achieved a significant milestone in the development of the core propulsion system for its ‘Nebula-2’ large reusable launch vehicle. The company’s liquid oxygen-kerosene variable-thrust engine, known as the ‘Thunder-RS’ and boasting the highest thrust capability in China, successfully underwent two full-engine ignition tests. These tests lasted 5 seconds and 40 seconds, respectively. With a maximum thrust of up to 130 tons, this engine stands as China’s largest pintle-injected liquid oxygen-kerosene engine to date. This achievement signifies that the engine has successfully crossed the steady-state operation threshold, thereby propelling the engineering verification of the ‘Nebula-2’ rocket propulsion system into a new phase. Currently, the ‘Nebula-2’ rocket has entered the parallel development phase for its various systems, with a planned maiden flight set for 2027. Deep Blue Aerospace is making steady progress in full-system integration, laying the groundwork for the future large-scale construction of space infrastructure within China’s commercial aerospace sector.