The first stage power system test of Lijian 2 was successful and the light boat cargo spacecraft was launched on its first flight.

On June 11, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation conducted a test run of the first-stage power system of the Lijian-2 liquid launch vehicle, which was a complete success. This is one of the major landmark ground tests in the development stage of the Lijian-2 project, which fully verified the key technologies.It laid a solid power foundation for the first flight of the prototype test spacecraft of the light boat cargo spacecraft., ensuring the reliability and stability of rocket flight.

During the test run, the engine started, rocked, and shut down according to predetermined procedures. The system worked normally, and the test run time covered the flight mission profile.

This test run fully verified the coordination and matching of the rocket's first-stage pressurization delivery system and the engine system, as well as the correctness of the system interfaces such as power, structure, avionics, and launch support. It also achieved an effective assessment of the propellant filling and leakage process, multi-machine parallel cycle precooling, and thermal environment characteristics.

This marks a phased achievement of key technologies for the first-stage power system of the Lijian-2 liquid launch vehicle.It has entered the first flight sprint stage and is expected to make its first flight in September this year.

It is not only the main rocket for large-scale constellation network launches and low-cost cargo transportation to the space station, but will further reduce the cost of cargo transportation to the Chinese space station and continue to inject new momentum into the development of global space transportation technology.

At the end of 2024, my country officially announced the results of the bidding for the overall plan for the low-cost cargo transportation system of the space station. The winning plan was the Qingzhou cargo spacecraft of the Microsatellite Innovation Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Haolong cargo spacecraft of the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China. Both have obtained engineering flight verification phase contracts.

The biggest feature of the light boat cargo spacecraft is its small and refined design concept. The entire ship weighs only about 5 tons, but has an upward carrying capacity of 1.8 tons and a downward carrying capacity of 2 tons.

9 cubic meters of loading volume and 27 cubic meters of cargo space, which can flexibly transport various loads such as astronauts’ living supplies and scientific experiment equipment.

In addition, the spacecraft adopts innovative4-layer shelf structure with 40 standardized cargo compartments, and special interfaces are reserved to meet diverse transportation needs.

As a leading and fully functional large-scale liquid power system test base in China, the China Aerospace Liquid Power System Test CenterIt has professional testing capabilities for 200-ton liquid rocket engines and comprehensive testing capabilities for 400-ton power systems.

This is the only testing institution in China that has the capabilities of both liquid engine testing and rocket power system testing. It is also the only liquid launch vehicle power system and liquid engine testing center in South China.

also,The technical preparation workshop of the China Aerospace Launch Site and the dedicated launch station for the Lijian-2 liquid launch vehicle will also be completed, accepted and put into use in the near future.