A new liquid fuel engine for the latest generation

China said it has developed a new liquid fuel engine for the latest generation of its line of rockets, hence becoming the second world power to apply that technology. The engine cycle high force burning step, uses 120 tons of liquid oxygen and kerosene to run, is not toxic or polluting, and ensures high performance and reliability ideal for space expeditions in the country, said the State Science Administration Technological  Industry for National Defense.

Has 120 tons of force, which makes it more powerful than the engines of 75 tons of force for the launch vehicles, and spacecraft Shenzhou released, but remains well below the 670 tons of force which has the F-1 engine of the United States, and even farther than the 740 tons of force the engine RD-170 from Russia.

This is the first combustion cycle engine phased high pressure that China holds the intellectual property, said Administration. China began investigating the development of the engine in September 2000 and is the second country after Russia, the successful implementation of technologies in a motor fuel and combustion step of high pressure.

The project was organized and coordinated by the Administration State for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense and conducted by the Academy of thrusters Vehicle Technology China, subject to the Corporation of Science and Technology Aerospace. The researchers conducted more than 70 technical innovations in the areas of design, manufacturing and testing, and patented 20 achievements in technological and scientific field of national defense, the time worked with nearly 50 new materials.

According to a government white paper issued at the end of the year past, China will develop launch vehicles of the next generation, including rocket-V Long March, Long March-VI and Grand March-VII, in the period 2011-2015. The Long March-V uses a propellant non-toxic and non-polluting and will be able to put in the near-Earth orbit a load of 25 tons or put in geostationary orbit a load of 14

tons. The announcement of the new rocket engine was made ​​only days before that China launched the spacecraft Shenzhou-IX that will perform a manual docking space laboratory module Tiangong-I into orbit. The spacecraft Shenzhou-IX will be released by the carrier Long March-IIF This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the creation of the manned space program China. The launch of the spacecraft Shenzhou-IX is the tenth release of the program and the fourth space flight in the country.