BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

REUSABLE ROCKET ENGINE

China has been actively developing space propulsion technology in recent years, and the latest achievement is successful ground ignition tests of a 130-tonne liquid oxygen and kerosene engine that will power the country’s reusable carrier rockets.

It has so far completed a total of 15 repetitive tests featuring 30 ignitions, with the cumulative test time exceeding 3,900 seconds. The number of repetitive tests on the engine has surpassed the previous record for liquid rocket main engine testing in China.

PATENT PROSECUTION

The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced this week that it will join the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Improvement Initiative, which involves cooperation between the world’s five leading IP offices, namely China, the United States, Europe, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

The objective of this initiative is to establish a more predictable examination cycle. According to the CNIPA, it will this year strive for an average duration of 3 months from the grant of a PPH request to issuance of a first office action. Similarly, it will aim for an average response time from examiner to applicant of no more than 3 months.

FOSSIL DISCOVERY

Fossils of a herbivorous reptile species dating back around 170 million years were discovered recently in the Three Gorges Reservoir area in Yunyang County, southwest China’s Chongqing, according to the municipal bureau of geology and mineral resources.

With a head about the size of an apple and three rows of large teeth in its mouth, the reptile is believed to have lived in the early Middle Jurassic period.