China is preparing a prototype of a new rocket engine designed for flights to Mars and the Moon
So, according to local media reports of the Celestial Empire, work on a new promising rocket engine operating on a liquid the type of fuel and intended for installation on the super-heavy class "Changzhen-9" launch vehicle, is in the final stages.
The first prototype will be produced and tested by a full range of tests by the end of this year. Thus, the commissioning of the new engine will allow China to start exploring both the Moon and fly to Mars and back.
What is known about the new engine
Most likely, the media is talking about the prototype of the YF-220 engine, which has a capacity of 200 tf. So, depending on the configuration, this engine with an additional fuel afterburning cycle will be used in an amount of one to four pieces.
So, most likely, the first stage of the future Changzhen-9 rocket will have four engines, and the second stage will have one YF-220 engine.
According to the plans, "Changzhen-9" with new engines should be fully assembled and put into operation by 2030 in order to launch approximately at this time. delivery of taikonauts to the Moon, as well as to start implementing a joint project to build a lunar station on the Moon jointly with the Russian Federation by 2035 year.
In addition, the new Changzhen-9 rocket will be capable of launching up to 150 tons of payload into low-earth orbit. And at the moment, the Changzhen-5 rocket is capable of putting only 25 tons of payload into orbit.
It is interesting to observe the development of astronautics in the Celestial Empire, which is simply by leaps and bounds. And for some reason, based on previous achievements, it is believed that Chinese engineers will succeed, and by 2030 we will see a working version of "Changzhen-9" with new engines that will allow you to master both the Moon and other space objects of our Solar systems.
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