China's Mega Engine Completes 1,000-Second Hot Fire of Chi Rocket Engine

3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · May 27

Mega Engine said its Chi kerosene-liquid oxygen engine completed 1,000 seconds of hot-fire testing across multiple runs, with rapid startup, stable operation and no hardware damage.
Chi uses an oxygen-rich staged-combustion closed cycle, sending turbine gas into the main chamber to boost efficiency; the engine is designed for variable thrust and multiple restarts.
The propulsion system is built to deliver 35 to 75 tons of sea-level thrust and about 87 tons in vacuum, targeting high-altitude use on medium and large rockets and first stages on smaller launchers.
Founded in early 2024, Mega Engine is also developing a 200-ton closed-cycle kerolox engine called Yan as China pushes more reusable, efficient liquid-fueled launch systems for lunar and deeper-space missions.

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