The 92.5-meter (303.5-foot) tall Long March 10 is a three-stage superheavy rocket that burns kerosene and liquid oxygen.
The first stage is five meters wide and is powered by seven YF-100K engines. Together with the two boosters, also powered by seven YF-100K engines, the rocket can generate a massive 2,678 tons of thrust at lift-off.
The rocket is capable of carrying at least 27 tons of cargo into Earth-Moon transfer orbit, about three times the capacity of China’s most powerful rocket to date, the Long March 5.
The two spacecraft will then meet and dock in lunar orbit, with the two astronauts boarding the lunar lander from Mengzhou.
After the lander touches down on the lunar surface, astronauts will operate the rover to conduct scientific investigations and collect rock samples, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
After completing the mission, the crew will return to Lanyue and leave the moon. CCTV reported in July that after successfully completing a high-temperature firing test of the YF-100K engine, the spacecraft will dock with Mengzhou in lunar orbit and return to Earth with the collected samples.
“Friday’s test validated a number of innovative technologies, giving us confidence to use it for flight missions,” CALT engineer Wang Qingwei said in a WeChat post.
“It boosted our morale and gave us valuable insights for completing the subsequent tests and flights,” said Xu Hongping, Wang’s colleague.
Next, the team will conduct tests of the seven engines and continue exploring new materials and technological processes for the Long March 10.
“Smart rocket and reusable technologies will be put into practice in our rockets,” Xu said.
China is working on developing other key components for the planned moon landing, including a manned spacecraft, a lunar lander and rover, and a lunar landing suit.
Space officials said at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in April that prototypes were being built and that China was on track to send astronauts to the moon by 2030.
