Xi’an private rocket startup posts milestone for oxygen-rich kerolox engine

Mega Engine Technology of Xi’an reports that its Chi high-pressure oxygen-rich staged-combustion kerolox engine accumulated 1,000 seconds of test time (2,000 seconds total) as of May 2026, a milestone previously dominated by state propulsion houses. Chi is throttleable from 35–75 tons (87 tons in vacuum) with about 302 s Isp at sea level (rising to ~350 s at altitude). The company plans a second engine, Yan, a 200-ton closed-cycle kerolox, to target heavy lifting, signaling a potential private path toward reusable medium-lift propulsion in China. However, independent verification is lacking, and details about the test article, flight customer, and supply chain remain unconfirmed; the broader context is a deliberate push—civil-military fusion—to move advanced propulsion from laboratories into commercial hands.