China tests reusable rocket engine for the 1st time (video)

China ups space race ante with reusable rocket test

Space is the final frontier. China ups space race ante with reusable rocket test last week. Well we can argue that Space may not be the final frontier and that it may just be the next frontier only. It is however clear that this frontier is going to be anything but a serine and scenic landscape.

Science answers many questions about the past and offers many hints at how the future may unfold. I think, China ups space race ante with reusable rocket test is just the start and we are going to experience an astronomically exponential growth in our understanding of science and technology.

Having said that, innovation and creativity has reached new speeds, making it difficult to keep track and follow, everyday there is something new being reported by the media.

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. Albert Einstein

This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when Science and Innovation is the driving force behind our economy. You need to be creative if you want the economy to grow and progress.

China has made a breakthrough in its quest to develop reusable launch vehicles like SpaceX’s Falcon 9.

Engineers performed the first hot-fire test of a 130-ton-thrust engine on Saturday (Nov. 26). The test included stopping and reigniting the engine, a process needed to control how and where rocket stages return to the ground.

The engine was tested by the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology in Xi’an, a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the country’s main space contractor and maker of the Long March rocket family.

Related: The latest news about China’s space program

Hot-fire test of the YF-100N engine near Xi’an, north China, on Nov. 26, 2022.  (Image credit: CASC)

The engine burns a mix of kerosene and liquid oxygen. It includes components made using 3D printing, automatic welding and intelligent assembly, and it’s capable of adjusting the thrust it produces when firing.

The engine is named the YF-100N and is a more advanced version of the YF-100 engine, which is used in China’s current Long March 5, 6 and 7 rockets.

CASC plans to use the YF-100N for a new generation of launch vehicles, including a new, reusable rocket for launching crew to its new Tiangong space station and eventually the moon.

CASC plans to have a first flight test of the new rocket around 2026, and says it will be able to launch a pair of the rockets to facilitate a short-term crewed lunar landing mission before the end of the decade.

Nothing fuels economic growth more than a scientific discovery that has become an affordable day to day technology. From the Guttenberg Press to the Internet and the mobile Phones of today, technology has helped us transform our lives and economies.

Especially if technologies such as this becomes more and more common, it will fuel the innovation of the next generation. And maybe China ups space race ante with reusable rocket test can lead to other countries joining in and opening the next economic frontier as well.

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Mani

A seasoned professional in IT, Cybersecurity, and Applied AI, with a distinguished career spanning over 20+ years. Mr. Masood is highly regarded for his contributions to the field, holding esteemed affiliations with notable organizations such as the New York Academy of Sciences and the IEEE – Computer and Information Theory Society. His career and contributions underscores his commitment to advancing research and development in technology.

Mani Masood

A seasoned professional in IT, Cybersecurity, and Applied AI, with a distinguished career spanning...