The hot fire test of a brand new, powerful Long March 9 rocket engine that will be used in the nation’s planned super heavy-lift rocket for moon missions was completed and passed with flying colors by Chinese engineers.
According to the person who developed the engine, the closed-cycle rocket engine uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as its propellant and has the ability to generate 25 tons of thrust. This makes it one of the most powerful engines of its kind that has ever been created.
The engine was developed by an institute that specializes in liquid propulsion. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), which is the main state-owned company in China that works in space, owns this institute.
The new engine has power levels that are approximately three times higher than those of the most capable liquid hydrogen-oxygen upper stage engine that is currently in use in China.
It is believed that the engine will provide propulsion for the third stage of the Long March 9 rocket that China intends to build. The launch vehicle is currently in the process of development for missions to the moon and even Mars, and it will be comparable to NASA’s iconic Saturn V or the larger versions of the American space agency’s huge new deep-space rocket, the Space Launch System. These comparisons are being made because the launch vehicle will be used for missions to the moon and even Mars.
It is currently anticipated that the Long March 9 will conduct its first test flight sometime around the year 2030 and that it will be disposable.
The CASC has already made progress (opens in new tab) in testing even larger, more powerful new engines for the first and second stages of the Long March 9, which means that the new test is yet another step forward toward China significantly increasing its space launch capabilities.
However, China is also contemplating the possibility of revamping and modifying its plans for super heavy-lift rockets in order to pursue reusability. In response to the progress that SpaceX has made on its reusable rockets and the huge new Starship system, senior Chinese space officials have recently shown new ideas for reusable Long March 9 rockets.
