BEIJING, March 9 -- Recently the 500-tonne thrust liquid oxygen and kerosene rocket engine developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) successfully passed the "half-system on full working condition" trial, marking an important breakthrough in the key technology of China's 500-tonne heavy-duty launch vehicle engine.

It is reported the trial is the first full working condition trail run for this type of engine. The smooth start-up, shifting, changing conditions and shutdown process of the trial verified the engine design, manufacturing and trail plans, laying a foundation for the full engine trail run and the follow-up development work, according to the developer.

With fully digitalized design and management, the new engine is currently the world's most powerful twine-tube thrust chamber engine and its comprehensive performance indicators have reached the world's advanced standards, providing three times the thrust of a 120-tonne-thrust LOX kerosene high-pressure staged combustion engine, three percent more specific impulse, 25 percent higher thrust to weight ratio.

News related to China's aerospace power has been emerging since the beginning of the year. According to the previous report on the official WeChat account of CASC, positive progress was made on the key technology of the high-thrust supplementary combustion cycle hydrogen-oxygen engine, which is to be used in the heavy-lift vehicle. China's first three-segmented 3.2-m large solid rocket booster engine for civil aerospace also completed the first ground test, according to reports last year.