Chinese developer completes delivery of Liqing-2 rocket engine

BEIJING -- Delivery of China's liquid oxygen kerosene engine, named Liqing-2, has been completed, its developer CAS Space said on Thursday.

The delivered piece of equipment is a 110-tonne pin engine, according to the company. Pin injection was applied in both the gas generator and thrust chamber of Liqing-2, the first stage engine of the company's Lijian series rockets.

The engine thrust ratio ranges from 50 to 100 percent, CAS Space revealed, while adding that the ground thrust can reach 110 tonnes.

The Liqing-2 engine development project was approved in the second quarter of 2023 -- and production started in the first quarter of 2024.

At the beginning of 2025, the engine completed the whole machine liquid flow test, assembly and delivery review.

As the main rockets used in China's commercial space industry, the Lijian-1 series has now launched a total of 57 satellites in the course of five flight missions.

CAS Space is a commercial spaceflight company established by the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.