China super rocket engine passes early test with successful trial
- The engine’s 500-tonne thrust is being developed for ambitious space missions, including a manned trip to Mars
- New engine is designed to power China’s next generation Long March 9 with first flight expected in 2030
“In the trial run the start-up, shifting gear, changing conditions and shutdown procedures all went smoothly, which validated the plans for the engine design, manufacturing and test, and laid the foundation for the next whole-system trial and other development work,” said CASC, China’s state-owned main contractor for its space programmes.
The liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene engine is designed for the next-generation carrier rocket Long March 9 (CZ-9), which is expected to make its first flight in 2030.
As the world’s largest twin-tube thrust chamber engine, it provides four times the thrust of the country’s most powerful engine, the YF-100 – a 120-tonne-thrust LOX kerosene high-pressure staged combustion engine that drives most of China’s rockets, including the heaviest-lift Long March 5 (CZ-5).
The CZ-5 is suitable for missions in the pipeline including the building of the Tiangong space station and the next few Chang’e missions to the moon, but a more powerful launch vehicle would be needed for some other projects under discussion.
Beijing is considering establishing an international lunar research station with Russia and sending humans to Mars.