Heavy-lift rocket engines in design for 2030 launch

China's largest booster big enough to send missions to moon, Mars

Chinese scientists are designing key parts to be used in the nation's most powerful carrier rocket, which is expected to make its first flight around 2030, a senior researcher said.

Li Hong, president of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, said scientists are designing two heavy-lift engines combining liquid oxygen with other fuels - kerosene in one and liquid hydrogen in the other - along with a large-diameter fuel tank.