6 March 2026 of the year, the Chinese start-up in the field of launches Landspace announced, which recently completed a lengthy test run of its BF engine with a full-flow staged combustion cycle (FFSC) on methane and liquid oxygen. This test took place after more than 100 of full-system launches since the first integrated hot test of the program in May 2025 year.
The BF engine is rated for a thrust of approx 220 metric tons and is a key element of the propulsion system for the company's next-generation heavy rocket launchers. According to Landspace, the latest test confirmed the performance of the integrated engine systems and showed further progress in key technologies, necessary for a high-performance methane engine. FFSC architecture provides higher fuel efficiency, better thrust-to-weight ratio and longer engine life compared to more traditional cycles. At the same time, this design creates significant engineering challenges: complex interaction of systems, high internal pressures and harsh thermal conditions.
In the second quarter of this year, the company plans to make a second attempt to return the orbital accelerator after last year's failure, and then it is going to demonstrate the reuse again in the fourth quarter.
Source: https://spacenews.com