Country of origin | China |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Space Pioneer |
Status | Under development |
Liquid-fuel engine | |
Propellant | LOX / RP-1 |
Performance | |
Thrust, vacuum | 1,350 kilonewtons (300,000 lbf) |
Thrust, sea-level | 1,090 kilonewtons (250,000 lbf) |
Throttle range | 40%~110% |
Thrust-to-weight ratio | 163 |
Specific impulse, vacuum | 335s |
Specific impulse, sea-level | 285s |
Used in | |
Tianlong-3 | |
References | |
Notes | [1] |
The TH-12 ( Chinese: 天火-12; pinyin: Tiānhuǒ-12, lit. Sky Fire 12) is an oxidizer-rich gas-generator cycle rocket engine burning LOX and kerosene under development by Space Pioneer. The TH-12 utilizes 3D printing and has the highest target thrust among all commercial rocket engines in China. The engine features deep throttling for reusability, re-ignition, thrust vectoring, and multi-mode starters. [2]
Space Pioneer proposed the TH-12 engine for its Tianlong-3 launch vehicle. [3] Engine development was underway in December 2020, with the first gas generator test performed in September 2022. In November 2022, a full-stage developmental TH-12 engine successfully completed its first static fire test. [4]
On July 24, 2023, the TH-12 engine, in the flight configuration of the first Tianlong-3 rocket, successfully completed a full-duration hot fire test at rated conditions for a single burn duration of 100 seconds, accumulating a total test duration of 200 seconds. This test demonstrated that the engine met the flight requirements for the Tianlong-3 rocket. [5]
In early January 2024, the TH-12 engine completed a calibration hot fire test for the first flight batch, subjecting the engine to a 50-second process verification test at rated conditions, demonstrating rapid startup, smooth operation, and normal shutdown. [6] Later that month, the TH-12 engine underwent a spot check hot fire test for the first flight batch, fully simulating the flight conditions of the inaugural Tianlong-3 launch. The test involved 6 consecutive ignitions of the engine without removal from the test stand, accumulating a total test duration exceeding 1,000 seconds, with the single engine operating time surpassing the planned flight duration by a factor of 6. [7]