China's Long March-5 Carrier Rocket Engine Undergoes Testing

Jul 31, 2012     Email"> PrintText Size

China on Sunday successfully conducted tests on its new 120-tonne-thrust liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene engine for its new generation carrier rocket, the Long March-5, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

The test was conducted in Xi'an, capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi province, according to the CASC's sixth research institute.

The LOX/kerosene engine underwent a test of a high rotational speed of nearly 20,000 revolutions per minute and a high temperature test of 3,000 degrees Celsius that lasted for 200 seconds, the China Central Television reported.

The high-performance engine, which is the first kind of high-pressure staged combustion cycle engine for which China has proprietary intellectual property rights, is non-toxic, pollution-free and highly reliable, according to the report.

The engine is much more powerful than the 75-tonne-thrust engines of the launch vehicles used in the already-launched Shenzhou spacecraft, the institute said.

It also makes China the second country in the world, after Russia, to grasp the core technologies for an LOX/kerosene high-pressure staged combustion cycle rocket engine.

The large-thrust carrier rocket under development, the Long March-5, is hoped to make its maiden voyage in 2014. Ahead of that, several limit-determining tests will be conducted to ensure the engine's stability and reliability, according to the statement.

(Source: Xinhua)