China’s Liqing‑2 Hits Long Burns
CAS Space reported its 110‑ton Liqing‑2 LOX/kerosene pintle‑injector engine completed a 200‑second single burn and 420‑second cumulative run, signaling progress on reusable‑class powerplants reported. Long‑duration test data like this is exactly what propulsion teams use to validate transient thermal and injector stability models.
CAS Space ran the Liqing‑2 long‑duration ground campaign on March 12, 2026, according to company and media reports. news.cgtn.com The 110‑tonne engine uses pin/pintle injection in both the gas generator and thrust chamber, and CAS Space lists a throttle envelope of roughly 50–100% with a maximum ground thrust of about 110 tonnes. spacedaily.com A prior verification milestone on December 3, 2025 logged shorter-duration runs with cumulative test time around 140 seconds and a longest single run of 120 seconds, per mainland press reporting. webull.com CAS Space says cumulative Liqing‑2 engine test time has now exceeded 1,000 seconds, and chief designer Chen Zhan stated the campaign moves the engine into a reliability‑verification phase ahead of preparation for mass production; the engine is slated as the main first‑stage powerplant for CAS Space’s Lijian‑series boosters. news.cgtn.com
