In the middle of the last decade, China seriously thought about landing its astronauts on the moon, and the country’s engineers began to design a large accelerator for the mission.

In 2016, state-owned rocket designer China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology began designing the Long March 9 super-heavy rocket. Like the Space Launch System that NASA was designing at the same time, the Long March 9 had a core power and boosters designed for single use. There were some key differences, particularly in the fuel – the Long March 9 used kerosene instead of liquid hydrogen – but the general idea was the same.

According to China’s plans, a disposable super-heavy rocket should have been launched before 2030. However, the country has turned its attention to other plans in recent years, particularly amid SpaceX’s efforts to reuse kerosene-powered first stages and deepen the company’s development of its fully reusable Starship rocket. In various presentations, Chinese officials discussed the possibility of using reusable elements in the design of the Long March 9.

Now, according to Space News, China has made it official. The publication cites an interview that Liu Bing, director of the general design department of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, gave to the country’s Central Television this week. He confirmed that plans for a one-off Long March 9 had been scrapped.

Liu said the main goal now is to develop a large rocket with a reusable first stage capable of delivering 150 tons of payload to low Earth orbit and up to 50 tons to the moon. Liu said the design process remains “flexible” and several technical issues remain to be resolved.

Changes may affect the engine. China recently conducted hot fire tests on a YF-130 kerosene-powered rocket engine . The YF-130 is one of the most powerful liquid fuel engines ever built, with a thrust of 453.5 tons. This engine will probably be chosen for the Long March 9.

However, the YF-130 may not be reusable. The Falcon 9 rocket, for example, only re-ignites a fraction of its nine engines upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. For this reason, the reusable design of the Long March 9 could use clusters of smaller liquid-fueled engines – possibly methane-based, like the Starship.

Source: Arstechnica