TH-12
Rocket engine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The TH-12 (Chinese: 天火-12; pinyin: Tiānhuǒ-12, lit. Sky Fire 12) is an oxidizer-rich gas-generator cycle rocket engine burning LOX and kerosene developed by Space Pioneer. The TH-12 utilizes 3D printing and has the highest target thrust among all commercial rocket engines in China. The engine features deep throttling for reusability, re-ignition, thrust vectoring, and multi-mode starters.[2]
| Country of origin | China |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Space Pioneer |
| Status | Active |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | LOX / RP-1 |
| Performance | |
| Thrust, vacuum | 1,350 kilonewtons (300,000 lbf) |
| Thrust, sea-level | 1,090 kilonewtons (250,000 lbf) |
| Throttle range | 40%~110% |
| Thrust-to-weight ratio | 163 |
| Specific impulse, vacuum | 335s |
| Specific impulse, sea-level | 285s |
| Used in | |
| Tianlong-3 | |
| References | |
| Notes | [1] |
History
Space Pioneer proposed the TH-12 engine for its Tianlong-3 launch vehicle.[3][4] Engine development was underway in December 2020, with the first gas generator test performed in September 2022. In November 2022, a full-stage developmental TH-12 engine successfully completed its first static fire test.[5]
On July 24, 2023, the TH-12 engine, in the flight configuration of the first Tianlong-3 rocket, successfully completed a full-duration hot fire test at rated conditions for a single burn duration of 100 seconds, accumulating a total test duration of 200 seconds. This test demonstrated that the engine met the flight requirements for the Tianlong-3 rocket.[6]
In early January 2024, the TH-12 engine completed a calibration hot fire test for the first flight batch, subjecting the engine to a 50-second process verification test at rated conditions, demonstrating rapid startup, smooth operation, and normal shutdown.[7] Later that month, the TH-12 engine underwent a spot check hot fire test for the first flight batch, fully simulating the flight conditions of the inaugural Tianlong-3 launch. The test involved 6 consecutive ignitions of the engine without removal from the test stand, accumulating a total test duration exceeding 1,000 seconds, with the single engine operating time surpassing the planned flight duration by a factor of 6.[8]
