China has completed the first propulsion system test of its Long March-10 rocket, which will be used to land Chinese astronauts on the moon before 2030.
Three YF-100K engines for the rocket’s first stage were simultaneously ignited during Friday’s test in Beijing’s Fengtai district, according to the state-owned rocket developer China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).
The engines, which generated a combined thrust of 382 tonnes for several minutes, “started normally, operated steadily, and shut down on schedule”, CALT said on its official WeChat account.
It added that the rocket’s development had entered the “fast lane” of implementing large-scale, system-level tests towards its maiden flight.
The Long March-10, measuring 92.5 metres (303.5 feet) tall, is a three-stage superheavy rocket that burns kerosene and liquid oxygen.
Its first stage is five metres wide and powered by seven YF-100K engines. Along with two boosters, each also consisting of seven YF-100K engines, the rocket can generate a humongous thrust of 2,678 tonnes at lift-off.
It is capable of delivering at least 27 tonnes to an Earth-moon transfer orbit – around three times the capacity of Long March-5, China’s most powerful rocket so far.
For China’s planned crewed moon landing, Long March-10 rockets will be tasked with two launches – one to send the Mengzhou spacecraft towards the lunar orbit, and another to launch the Lanyue moon lander.
These two spacecraft will then rendezvous and dock in lunar orbit, and two astronauts will enter the moon lander from the Mengzhou.
After the lander touches down on the lunar surface, the astronauts will drive a rover to carry out scientific investigations and collect rock samples, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Once they complete their mission, the crew will return to Lanyue and depart the moon. They will dock with Mengzhou in lunar orbit and return to Earth with the samples they collected, CCTV said in July after a successful hot-fire test of the YF-100K engine.
“Friday’s test verified a number of innovative technologies, which we can now confidently use for flight missions,” CALT engineer Wang Qingwei said, according to the WeChat article.
“It boosted our morale and offered valuable insights for us to complete subsequent tests and flights,” said Wang’s colleague Xu Hongping.
Next up, the team will carry out a seven-engine test and continue to explore new materials and technical processes for the Long March-10.
“Smart rocket and reusability technologies will find practical applications with our rocket,” Xu said.
China has been working on other key components of its planned moon landing, such as the crew spacecraft, the moon lander and rover, and lunar landing suits.
Their prototypes are now being manufactured and China is on target to put astronauts on the moon by 2030, space officials said during a press conference at Jiuquan satellite launch centre in April.
