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Chinese Satellite Engine Runs More Than 14 Hours in Test, Exceeding Its 10-Hour Design Target
An upgraded engine from the China Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology operated continuously for over 14 hours during ground testing and completed 3.2 hours of firing in orbit. The engine placed a communications satellite at geostationary altitude in late June.
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A Chinese satellite engine operated continuously for more than 14 hours during testing, exceeding its designed life of nearly 10 hours, @SCMPNews reported. The engine, developed by the China Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology in Xian, produces 750 newtons of thrust. During its maiden flight in late June, the engine fired for 11,617 seconds across five orbit-raising maneuvers.
It placed Communications Technology Experiment Satellite 26A into an orbit 35,800 km above Earth. A novel heat- and oxidation-resistant coating allowed the engine to surpass its design target without loss of performance, according to Chinese media reports cited by @SCMPNews. -made R-42DM and Europe’s Leros-1B engines are typically designed to operate for about seven hours.
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