China has made a breakthrough in its quest to develop reusable launch vehicles like SpaceX’s Falcon 9. On Saturday, November 26, engineers carried out First hot test of the 130 tonne propulsion engine. The test involved stopping and re-ignitioning the engine, a necessary process to control how and where the rocket stages would return to the ground.

The engine was tested by the Xi’an Aerospace Propulsion Academy, the country’s main space contractor and a subsidiary of the family rocket manufacturer China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). Long March. Hot fire test of a YF-100N engine near Xi’an, northern China, on November 26, 2022.

The engine burns a mixture of kerosene and liquid oxygen. It has 3D-printed components, automatic welding and smart assembly, and can adjust the thrust it creates when fired. The engine is called the YF-100N and is a more advanced version of the YF-100 engine used in China’s current Long March 5, 6 and 7 missiles.

CASC plans to use the YF-100N for next-generation launch vehicles, including a new one reusable rocket to launch crew to someone new Tiangong space station and finally to the moon. CASC plans to conduct the first flight test of the new missile around 2026 and says it can launch a pair of missiles to facilitate short-term flights. manned missions to the moon at the end of ten years.