Commercial, reusable Chinese rocket PALLAS-2 completes engine system test

Beijing-based commercial rocket developer Galactic Energy recently completed a comprehensive system test of the engine for its large reusable rocket, the PALLAS-2, the Science and Technology Daily reported on Tuesday.

The test was performed to verify the design, manufacturing, and system integration of the CQ-90 rocket engine, according to Galactic Energy. The engine started smoothly, operated stably with bright flame visibility, and shut down normally during the test.

The resulting data indicated that all of the engine's performance parameters have met their design specifications, with a combustion efficiency exceeding 96 percent.

Galactic Energy developed the CQ-90 liquid oxygen-kerosene engine for PALLAS-2 through an upgrade of its CQ-50 engine. Featuring a bidirectional swing capability of up to six degrees, it is equipped with multiple ignitions and a wide-range variable thrust.

With a diameter of 4.5 meters, the PALLAS-2 rocket has two configurations. The baseline configuration has a liftoff mass of about 757 tonnes, a liftoff thrust of about 910 tonnes, and a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) payload capacity of 20 tonnes.

Its strap-on booster configuration has a liftoff mass of approximately 1,950 tonnes, a liftoff thrust of approximately 2,730 tonnes, and a LEO payload capacity of 58 tonnes.