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]
| 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] |
History
editSpace 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- ^ "天火-12 - 天火系列发动机 - 天兵科技". www.spacepioneer.cc. Space Pioneer. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "天兵科技百吨级液体火箭发动机半系统热试车圆满成功". www.jiuyoucapital.com.cn. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Brügge, Norbert. "SpacePioneer". www.b14643.de. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Chang, He. "天兵科技 110 吨液体火箭发动机全系统热试车成功". ithome. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Space Pioneer. "热烈庆祝天兵科技百吨级液体火箭发动机 首飞状态全系统长程热试车圆满成功" (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 2024-03-11. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "热烈庆祝天兵科技天龙三号批产发动机校准试车圆满成功" (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 2024-03-11. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "热烈庆祝天兵科技天龙三号首飞批次发动机抽检试车圆满成功" (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 2024-03-11. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
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