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.

During the combined ignition test that took place at an engine testing facility in Fengxian county in Shaanxi province, four engines were connected together and started at the same time to verify the design and performance of the propulsion system on a new model of carrier rocket, according to the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology, a CASC subsidiary in Shaanxi and China’s major manufacturer of liquid-propellant rocket engines.

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 tons. The four engines generated a combined thrust of more than 500 tons 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.

This marks a new breakthrough in the country’s liquid propulsion development. It is also the first-ever parallel ignition test of four large-thrust liquid oxygen (LOX) kerosene engines.

The 130-tonne class LOX kerosene engine, developed by the CASC, has a total thrust of over 500 tonnes. Compared to the currently operational 120-tonne class LOX kerosene engines, it not only boasts a larger thrust and better performance, but also a more compact structure, effectively enhancing the rocket’s carrying capacity.

The parallel ignition test refers to the integration of four mature engine systems, working in unison rather than simply being bundled together. This approach provides a larger thrust for the rocket while also reducing the overall complexity of the system.

The successful trial run validates the coordination of multiple engines and their reliability in high thermal environments, demonstrating that the engines are fully capable of flight applications.