SHAANXI: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the country’s major space contractor, conducted on Sunday a major test on a new type of rocket engine, creating the biggest thrust power ever recorded in tests of any Chinese liquid-propellant engines.

According to a report by China Daily, a combined ignition test was conducted at an engine testing facility in Fengxian county, Shaanxi province. During this test, four engines were simultaneously connected and started to assess the design and performance of the propulsion system for a new model of carrier rocket. This information was provided by the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) based in Shaanxi, which is a prominent manufacturer of liquid-propellant rocket engines in China.

The academy said in a news release that the new engines are the latest variant in the YF-100 series. They consume liquid oxygen and kerosene and each of them has a thrust of 130 metric tonnes. The f
our engines generated a combined thrust of more than 500 tonnes in the test, which is more sophisticated than any other liquid-propellant engine tests in the past, it noted.

Li Bin, a deputy head of the Xi’an academy and the chief designer of its liquid oxygen/kerosene engines, said after the Sunday test that engineers examined the operational compatibility among the four engines and their working reliability in the simulated liftoff scenario.

The results showed that the new model of engine functions well and has become ready for real use, he said.

According to designers, the new engine will be responsible for lifting a new rocket model in the Long March family, the nation’s dominant launch vehicle fleet.

Source: Emirates News Agency