Broader implications if so
However, if the cause is due to the first stage’s main engine, the YF-100, there could be broader implications for China’s space program. The YF-100 is by far the most commonly used rocket engine in China’s space program. The engine, fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene, has a thrust of 270,000 pounds at sea level.
It has powered the Long March 7 and newer Long March 7A variant for the last decade. This rocket performs a variety of tasks for China’s space program, from communications satellite launches to boosting the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft that ferries supplies to the Chinese space station in low-Earth orbit.
The broader concern for China’s space program is that YF-100 engine also powers other rockets. As many as nine Chinese rockets, from the Long March 5 to Long March 8 vehicles, used various amounts of YF-100 engines. Even new rockets, such as the Long March 10, use modified variants of the YF-100 technology.
May delay Chang’e 7
If this issue is engine-related, it could delay one of China’s most important launches for the rest of the year.
The country’s ambitious Chang’e 7 robotic mission to the Moon was due to launch on a Long March 5 rocket about two weeks from now. That rocket’s boosters are powered by YF-100 engines. The Chang’e 7 mission is an important component of China’s lunar program as the vehicle combines an orbiter, lander, rover, and mini-hopper. It is bound for the area near Shackleton crater, in the vicinity of the South Pole of the Moon. It would be the first rover by any country ever sent to explore this region.
Both China and NASA are racing to establish operations at the potentially resource-rich South Pole of the Moon.