China closes in on deep space ambitions with latest rocket engine test
- Researchers have completed an essential step in the development of its next generation engine for the Long March 9 rocket
- Experiments confirm the engine’s suitability for complex space missions, including crewed moon landings and deeper space exploration
Two experiments earlier this month verified the design of the rocket engine’s thrust chamber, confirming its suitability for complex space missions. The research team can now move on to test the engine’s whole system thermal performance, the report said.
When complete, the engine will be the most powerful of its kind. It is intended for China’s next generation super heavy-lift Long March 9 – also known as the CZ-9 – rocket which one day will carry a crew to the moon.
“[This engine] can restart multiple times with a wide range of variable thrust adjustments. It can be used for complex space missions such as manned lunar landings, manned Mars landings and deep space exploration,” the report said.
The China National Space Agency (CNSA) has said it aims to land humans on the moon by 2030, and to set up a joint lunar station with Russia in around 2035. The CNSA also has plans to retrieve samples from Mars and expand exploration to other planets and deeper space.
China’s rocket capabilities have been a bottleneck to these ambitions, with difficulties in the development of its earlier CZ-5 series delaying some missions for nearly two years.
The CZ-9 is designed to deliver a payload of up to 50 tonnes to the moon, or up to 44 tonnes to Mars. In lower earth orbit, its capacity is 140 tonnes – comparable to the US Falcon Heavy and almost six times more powerful than the CZ-5.
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The latest tests on the YF-79 were conducted under 60 per cent and 100 per cent rated working conditions which not only verified the thrust chamber’s design but also collected valuable data, according to the report.
The team also completed the welding of a 9.5 metre (31 feet) diameter ring to the base of the CZ-9 rocket, it said.
Four YF-79 engines will be combined for the third and final stage of the CZ-9 rocket, while four 500 tonne-thrust supplement combustion cycle kerosene-oxygen YF-130 engines will be used for lift-off.
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Two 220 tonne-thrust supplement combustion cycle hydrogen-oxygen YF-90 engines will power the second stage of the CZ-9’s journey, with more YF-130 engines bundled as boosters.
The YF-90 and YF-130 engines are also under development, with the first YF-90 prototype completed in July.
In March, the researchers conducted a “half-system on full working condition” test of a YF-130 engine – an essential step in the development process – and expect to complete a whole-system test verification before the end of the year.
