China makes breakthrough in methane engine for heavy-lift rockets

China's homegrown "Lanyan," a 220-tonne-level liquid oxygen–methane rocket engine featuring a full-flow staged-combustion cycle, completed a long-duration full-system test recently, marking a breakthrough in the development of high-performance liquid rocket engines, China Media Group reported on Friday.

Developed by Chinese commercial space firm LandSpace, the "Lanyan" engine is designed to support the next generation of large and heavy-lift launch vehicles, helping enable future deep-space exploration, crewed lunar missions and expanded orbital launch capabilities.

The engine adopts a full-flow staged combustion cycle, featuring two preburners. A fuel-rich preburner drives the fuel pump, while an oxygen-rich preburner powers the oxidizer pump. The two gas streams enter the main combustion chamber, where they burn completely, allowing more precise control of fuel and oxidizer flow and improving efficiency.

Compared with conventional engine designs, the configuration offers higher efficiency, a more compact structure and longer service life, though it also presents greater challenges in design, testing and manufacturing.

The "Lanyan" engine carried out its first full-system test in May 2025 and has since completed more than 100 ignition tests. The latest long-duration full-system test indicates that the engine's technological maturity has further improved.