From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rocket engine
The
TH-12
(
Chinese
:
天火-12
;
pinyin
:
Ti?nhu?-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]
History
[
edit
]
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]
References
[
edit
]
|
---|
|
Liquid
fuel
| Cryogenic
| Hydrolox
(
LH
2
/
LOX
)
|
- China
- Europe
- India
- Japan
- Russia
- USA
|
---|
Methalox
(
CH
4
/
LOX
)
| |
---|
|
---|
Semi-
cryogenic
| Kerolox
(
RP-1
/
LOX
)
|
- China
- India
- Russia
- NK-15
- NK-33, 44
- RD-58
- RD-0105, 0109
- RD-0107, 0108, 0110
- RD-0110R
- RD-0124
- RD-107, 108, 117, 118
- RD-120
- RD-170, 171
- RD-180
- RD-191, 151, 181
- RD-193
- S1.5400
- Spain
- Ukraine
- USA
|
---|
|
---|
Storable
| Hypergolic
(
Aerozine
,
UH 25
,
MMH
, or
UDMH
/
N
2
O
4
,
MON
, or
HNO
3
)
|
- China
- Europe
- India
- Israel
- North Korea
- Russia
- 17D61
- RD-0202 to 0206, 0208 to 0213
- RD-0207, 0214
- RD-0216, 0217, 0235
- RD-0233, 0234
- RD-0236
- RD-0237
- RD-0243 to 0245
- RD-0255 to 0257
- RD-215 to 219
- RD-250 to 252, 261, 262
- RD-253, 275
- RD-263, 268, 273
- RD-270
- S5.92
- S5.98M
- Ukraine
- USA
|
---|
|
---|
Other
| |
---|
| |
---|
Solid
fuel
|
- China
- Europe
- India
- Iran
- Israel
- Japan
- USA
|
---|
- * Different versions of the engine use different propellant combinations
- Engines in
italics
are under development
|