New engine test facility at Tongchuan for lunar missions opened
The Tongchuan Test Center (铜川试验中心) has a new engine test facility for China's crewed lunar efforts.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation’s Sixth Academy announced on September 10th that it had started using a new test facility at the Tongchuan Test Center (铜川试验中心), located in the province of Shaanxi. This test facility is believed to be operated in collaboration with the China Manned Space Agency for China’s crewed lunar landing program.
This new facility is believed to be the largest high-altitude engine test facility in Asia as well as filling in a gap in China’s testing capabilities. The inaugural test performed is currently believed to be the single engine of Lanyue’s propulsion module, the YF-58-1.
The Xi'an Aerospace Propulsion Test Technology Research Institute (西安航天动力试验技术研究所) believes that this new facility will strengthen and bolster the development of the Lanyue crewed lunar lander. They also reported that the engine-firing test facility is able to support the longest burn of the YF-58-1 of one thousand seconds while simulating vacuum conditions.
To keep the chamber at pressure, and to remove by-products of engine firings, large ejection pumps are used, which is why the facility can be seen with a large cloud forming from the roof.
Construction is also reported to have only taken eight months thanks to a team structure of "integrated promotion, flat management", according to both the Sixth Academy and Xi’an Research Institute. Initial construction began in December 2023 with work on the test chamber and the remainder of the facility happening in parallel since late May 2024.
Videos of the facility were also shared, which I have attached below. (If you’re reading this in your email inbox it will redirect you to YouTube).
Construction video via China航天 on Weibo.
First firing video via Xi'an Aerospace Propulsion Test Technology Research Institute (西安航天动力试验技术研究所) on WeChat/Weixin.