Space Pioneer, a Beijing-based private launch firm, has completed a major ignition test of its TL 3 carrier rocket, establishing a national record for thrust produced by any Chinese privately developed launch vehicle.

The test took place Monday on an offshore platform in Haiyang, Shandong province. Nine TH-12 liquid oxygen-kerosene engines fired for 30 seconds, generating around 840 metric tons of thrust. The trial confirmed the TL 3 first-stage design and subsystem integration, while also marking China's first sea-based engine ignition test.

The previous record of 769 tons was set in June by LandSpace's TQ-12A engines at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia.

The TL 3 stands 72 meters tall with a 3.8-meter diameter and weighs nearly 600 tons at liftoff. With 840 tons of thr

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