China is set to unveil a detailed model of its highly anticipated Long March 10A rocket at the Zhuhai Airshow, slated to open on November 12 in southern China. The rocket, poised for its inaugural flight in 2026, marks a significant milestone in China’s ambitious lunar program, ultimately aimed at landing astronauts on the Moon before the decade’s end. The upcoming display and projected launch underscore China’s rapid advances in crewed spaceflight and lunar exploration technology.
Model of fully reusable Long March 9 at Zhuhai Airshow, to be powered by 30 FFSC methalox engines, each provides ~200t thrust with 341s impulse and 18MPa chamber pressure.
According to a recent report by Science and Technology Daily, a newspaper under China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, the Long March 10A is a single-core rocket designed primarily for crewed missions. Standing at 67.4 meters with a 5-meter diameter, it will launch a new generation of crew spacecraft to the Tiangong space station in low Earth orbit (LEO). The Long March 10A will have a payload capacity of 14,200 kilograms to LEO when designed to recover its first stage, with its length adjusted to 66.4 meters for cargo missions to Tiangong.
The rocket's first mission, scheduled for 2026, is not only a stepping stone toward establishing advanced crewed capabilities but also lays groundwork for larger lunar objectives. These objectives include the eventual deployment of a three-core Long March 10 variant, developed specifically for lunar missions.
China’s Lunar Mission Plan: The Role of Long March 10
The Long March 10 rocket family is at the core of China’s plan to send astronauts to the Moon. The lunar variant of the Long March 10, reaching 92 meters in length, is expected to launch 27 tons to a trans-lunar orbit. For China’s first manned Moon landing, two separate Long March 10 rockets will launch: one will carry a crew spacecraft named Mengzhou and the other a lunar lander stack named Lanyue. The two spacecraft will rendezvous in lunar orbit, allowing two astronauts to descend to the lunar surface for a six-hour mission while a third astronaut remains in lunar orbit. Following the Moon excursion, the crew will reunite in lunar orbit for their return to Earth.
With this timeline, China is aligning its lunar mission to potentially match NASA’s Artemis III mission, which aims to land astronauts on the Moon no earlier than 2026. However, Artemis III faces potential delays, creating the possibility for China to position itself as the second nation to land humans on the lunar surface.
The Long March 10 rocket, developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) under China’s leading space contractor CASC, introduces technical challenges due to its three-core configuration, a design unprecedented in China’s rocketry history. Engineers will need to tackle complex issues surrounding the increased size, aerodynamic dynamics, and engine synchronization of the rocket. China’s largest current rocket, the Long March 5, features a 5-meter diameter, marking a significant leap to the 10-meter diameter anticipated in future rocket models.
Despite these challenges, CALT has shown recent progress. In June, the academy successfully conducted a static fire test of a Long March 10A first-stage test article, an essential milestone validating key engine and design components.
Future Prospects: Long March 9 and Long March 8 Expansions
Also set to be displayed at the Zhuhai Airshow is a model of the Long March 9, China’s planned workhorse for lunar and space infrastructure missions. Images circulating on Chinese social media site Sina Weibo, as reported by Ars Technica, show the Long March 9 featuring a reusable upper stage, drawing comparisons to SpaceX’s Starship. This design marks an evolution in CALT’s approach from previous concepts, shifting from a purely expendable, kerosene-fueled rocket to methane-fueled designs geared toward reusability. This shift aligns with China’s vision of sustainable lunar exploration and space station infrastructure development, with a potential Long March 9 launch as early as 2030.
The Long March 9, anticipated to be 10.6 meters in diameter and powered by 30 YF-215 engines, will launch infrastructure and components for the International Lunar Research Station, which China and international partners plan to begin constructing in the 2030s.
Finally, visitors at the Zhuhai Airshow may also see the Long March 8, a modified model due to launch from China’s new commercial spaceport near the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center. The Long March 8 and the new commercial facilities are part of China’s strategy to increase its launch capacity, a move signaling its commitment to sustaining a high tempo of space exploration activities.
Add comment
Comments