Chinese developer completes delivery of Liqing-2 rocket engine

The delivery of China's liquid oxygen kerosene engine, the Liqing-2, has been completed, its developer, CAS Space, said on Thursday.

According to the company, the delivered piece of equipment is a 110-tonne pin engine. Pin injection was used in the gas generator and thrust chamber of the 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 said, adding that the ground thrust can reach 110 tonnes.

The Liqing-2 engine development project was approved in the second quarter of 2023, and its 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.