The Development of Oxygen/Hydrogen Rocket Engine in China

In the mid of the 1970s,China began to develop its first oxygen/hydrogen rocket engine,which is designated as YF-73 and used for the third stage of the Long March 3 launch vehicle (LM-3).After successful flight tests of the LM-3,the development of a new engine-YF-75 engine started,which is for the third stage of the LM-3A.This paper describes these two engines and the development of China's cryogenic technology.It also discusses some tentative ideas about the future development of oxygen/hydrogen engine.     

LOX/Kerosene Engine,A New Space Power Era in China

<正>The launch of the LM-6 launch vehicle marks that China’s space power system has entered the non-toxic and pollution-free era.The power system of LM-6,engines for all 3 stages of the carrier rocket were developed by the Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology(AALPT),with the highlight of the first two stages engines.The first stage uses a120t liquid oxygen/kerosene(LOX/kerosene)engine and the second stage uses an 18t LOX/kerosene engine.The LOX/kerosene engine fills the gap of the staged combustion cycle engine in China,enabling space power to enter a new and     

500-ton LOX/Kerosene Engine Joint Test Achieved Success

正Recently,the first gas generator-turbopump joint test for the 500-ton LOX/kerosene engine was completed with success.The engine developed independently by the Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology(AALPT)will be used for the heavy-lift rocket.The 500-ton LOX/kerosene engine has the thrust of the largest ever developed by China and in the foreseeable future.It will be used in major space activities such as deep space exploration and in the construction of extra-large     

United Nations International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Management Held in Beijing

The United Nations International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Management, "Risk Assessment in the Context of Global Climate Change", was held in Beijing during November 7-9, 2012. The conference was co-organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Ministry of Civil affairs (MCA) of the People’s Republic of China, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC, China National Space Administration (CNSA),     

Hot Firing Test of the First Pump Rear Swing Rocket Engine Succeeded

<正>The hot firing test of the first pump rear swing rocket engine achieved success,making China the second country following Russia who has mastered the core technology for the pump rear swing.The test lasted 50 seconds from ignition to shut down.The tested rocket engine was developed by the Academy     

Satellite Launch Gets Insurance

The People’s Insurance(Property)Co.(PICC Property)and the China Telecommunications Broad-cast Satellite Corp.(Chinasat)signed ＄220 million worth of contracts on July 29,1996 on two communi-cations satellites.The two telecommunications satellites are the Dongfanghong 3,developed by the Chi-nese Academy of Space Technology,and Chinasat 7,a product of the US Hughes company. The two satellites were planned to be responsible for the relay of the broadcasting of 15 televisionchannels,including some from China Centraal Television (CCTV),and for the expansion of the country’stelecommunications capacity.Chinasat7 was launched on August 18,1996 and failed to enter its plannedorbit.Dongfanghong 3 is scheduled to be launched by China’s Long March 3A launch vehicle at the endof the year.It is the first deal for PICC Property since the transformation of its parent company.PICC     

China Successfully Tested Propulsion System of Space Station's Lab Capsules

正Shanghai Institute of Space Propulsion(SISP) under the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology (AAPT) successfully tested the propulsion system of China’s planned space station lab capsules.All the engines and system components worked well for the 2 hours of the 8 testprocedures, verifying the feasibility of the design plan for the propulsion system.Engineers designed 36 engines for the lab capsules. Each engine is designed     

China Unveils Its First Mars Probe and Rover

正A press conference was held in Beijing on August 23,marking the launch of a public competitive campaign to obtain a name and logo for China’s Mars mission.The project and its progress were introduced at the conference and the external appearance of the Mars probe and the rover was revealed.China’s Mars mission will be implemented in two steps.The objective of the first step is to achieve orbiting,landing,and roving.Mars sampling will be the purpose of the second step,announced     

Development Of China's New Generation Of Launch Vehicles Proceeds Well

The engine of China's new generation of launch vehicles passed its 500s long run test on May 20 in Beijing. The construction of the test bed for the propulsion system of the new generation of launch vehicles has started.The test bed,built by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT),will be the biggest and most powerful rocket propulsion test system in China.     

Civilian Remote Sensing Satellite HY-2 Widely Applied for Oceanography

The HY-2 satellite is China’s first ocean dynamic environmental satellite for all-weather,all-time space observation of the nation’s offshore and global sea surface wind field,sea surface height,significant wave height and sea surface temperature.The HY-2 satellite project was approved by China National Space Administration(CNSA)and the Ministry of Finance of China in January 2007.China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation(CASC)subsid-     

FY-4 Satellite Delivered to Customer

<正>On September 25,the on-orbit delivery ceremony for China’s new generation geostationary meteorological satellite FY-4 was held in Beijing.China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation(CASC),the manufacturer of the satellite officially delivered FY-4 to the customer,the China Meteorological Administration(CMA)for operation.The delivery of FY-4 marks the up-     

First Liquid Oxygen and Coal-Derived Kerosene Rocket Engine Firing Test Succeeded

A ground hot firing test of an overall rocket engine using liquid oxygen and coal-derived kerosene as propellant was conducted on April 12,2015.The success of the test proved that coal-derived kerosene could be used for aerospace application as petroleum-derived aerospace kerosene.It was the first attempt not only for China but also for the whole world to use coal-derived kerosene in     

Full Mission Profile of Second-stage Engine of LM-7 Completed

<正>Recently,the 180k N LOX/kerosene staged combustion cycle engine,the second-stage engine of LM-7 developed by the Xi’an Aerospace Propulsion Institute,successfully completed a 400s test run under rated conditions.The test,following the vibration test during the first-stage flight phase,fully demonstrated the high reliability and environmental adaptability of the engine,marking that the secondstage engine had stepped forward to     

200s Test Run of LM-7 First Core Stage Succeeded

<正>On October13,2015,the 200s test run of the first core stage of LM-7 was completed at the new rocket engine test zone of the Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology.The engines which took part in the test were two     

Chang’e 2 Hits 20 Million Kilometers Milestone

The Chang’e 2 satellite, developed and launched by CASC, has travelled deeper into outer space at about 20 million km from the Earth, marking a new breakthrough in the ability of the nation’s lunar and deep space exploration project. The probe is now continuing its deep space travel under normal conditions. CASC undertook the development and launch of lunar satellite and launch vehicle for the nation’s lunar exploration program. On October 24, 2007, the first indigenously developed lunar exploration satellite, Chang’e 1, was launched into space successfully. Chang’e 2 was put into orbit on October 1, 2010 from the Xichang Satellite     

GF-2 Satellite Put into Service

<正>China’s most advanced Earth observation satellite,GF-2,was put into service on March 6,2015.The GF-2 satellite is the second of seven satellites that will be launched for the High Resolution Earth Observation project mission before 2020.The project was initiated in May 2010 and GF-1 was launched     

ZY-3 High Resolution Satellite Delivered for Operation

The nation’s first high-resolution optical transmission stereo satellite ZY-3 was delivered to the customer formally on July 30 for full operation. The satellite was launched by a LM-4B launch vehicle on January 9, 2012 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC). The rocket for the mission was     

China Aerospace Ascends to A New Height in Engine

The Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology (AALPT) successfully completed the long-duration captive firing test of a new generation of 120-ton thrust liquid oxygen/kerosene rocket engine. The engine had been stored for three years and     

IAA Wishing China To Be More Active in IAA

The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Academy Day was held in Beijing by the IAA Studies Center on November 3, 2012. The event took place at the China Center for Resources Satellite Data and Application (CRESDA) and attracted China’s space communities widely. 34 Chinese IAA members attended the activity. IAA Vice President Liu Jiyuan chaired the meeting and Professor Wu Meirong,     

China's First HTS Broadband Satellite Communications System Construction Initiated

正China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation(CASC)and the People’s Government of Shenzhen Municipality co-hosted a ceremony for the contract signing of the high-throughput broadband satellite project and for the establishment of a joint venture on July23,marking the formal start of the construction of China’s first high-throughput broadband satellite communication system.The joint venture called APT Mobile