China’s largest solid-fuel engine for rocket passes first tests
Chinese space engineers have conducted the first ignition test of China’s most powerful solid-propellant rocket engine, which will be used on new-generation rockets, according to the Academy of Aerospace Solid Propulsion Technology (a subsidiary of State-owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp) in Xi’an, Shaanxi province.
The engine has a diameter of 3.5 meters, 150 metric tons of solid propellants and a thrust power of 500 tons, making it the world’s most powerful and fuel-efficient integrated solid-propellant rocket engine, the academy said. It adopts a number of advanced technologies such as a high-performance fiber composite materials shell, a high-loading integrally cast-formed combustion chamber, and an oversized nozzle.
The success of the test indicates that China’s solid carrying capacity has been greatly improved, and it provides more power options for the development of China’s launch vehicle type spectrum. It is of great significance to promote the development of large and heavy launch vehicle technology in the future, according to the academy.
