Chinese space start-up launches the world’s first rocket powered by ‘coal’
- Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-2 launch of a rocket powered by coal-based aviation kerosene is being hailed as an aerospace industry breakthrough
- The innovation may provide secure, efficient and sustainable energy for China’s aerospace industry
Rocket engines require premium fuel and traditional rocket kerosene can only be refined from high-quality petroleum via a complex extraction process. Supply of such fuel has always faced challenges, especially in China with its limited oil reserves and generally mediocre oilfield quality.
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The maiden launch of a rocket powered by coal-based aviation kerosene is being hailed as a landmark achievement in the global aerospace industry.
“The success of this research broadens the fuel supply source for China’s aerospace industry, ensures national energy security, and lays a solid foundation for the launch of China’s new generation of carrier rockets,” China Space News, a newspaper under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, reported on Tuesday.
Researchers have long pursued a safe and convenient alternative energy source.
The coal-based aviation kerosene was developed under the combined efforts of state-owned companies, including the 165th Research Institute of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China Energy’s Coal-to-Liquid Chemical Company and Ningxia Coal Industry Group.