Hey space fans! 🚀 China's next-gen manned carrier rocket, Long March-10, just nailed its second static fire test at 3 p.m. on Friday at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan, a province of the Chinese mainland. Seven first-stage engines roared in sync for 320 seconds, passing low-thrust and secondary restart checks like pros.
According to the CMSA, these tests slash the risk ahead of the rocket's maiden flight. The hot-fire validated the first-stage propulsion system's performance, as well as recovery and reuse capabilities—highlighting a major breakthrough for the initial Long March-10 prototype. ✅
The Long March-10 series, which includes both the standard Long March-10 and the pumped-up Long March-10A, is designed for China's manned lunar exploration program. With the lunar landing phase officially underway, astronauts could be planting boots on the moon before 2030! 🌕
Since mid-June, the Mengzhou manned spacecraft, the Lanyue lunar lander, and the Long March-10 rockets have been making steady progress. New support facilities at Wenchang are rising fast, and the CMSA reports that follow-up tests and verifications are all set to roll out soon.
Reference(s):
China's Long March-10 carrier rocket succeeds in 2nd static fire test
cgtn.com
