China has successfully conducted a ground test of the crew rescue system for its new Mengzhou spacecraft. It is scheduled to transport Chinese astronauts to the Moon by 2030.
Successful test
China is one step closer to sending its citizens to the Moon. On June 17, the country’s space agencies conducted tests at the Jiuquan Space Center in the Gobi Desert on the crew rescue system for the Mengzhou spacecraft, designed to fly to our planet’s moon.
It was a fairly simple test, during which the spacecraft, without any launch vehicle, stood directly on the launch pad without any crew inside. On command, the solid-fuel engines were started and the spacecraft began to lift off. However, after 20 seconds, the emergency rescue system was activated and the capsule, which was supposed to contain the crew, descended to Earth.
According to Chinese news agencies, the system used a control principle that differed from the traditional one used in similar launches, in which the launch is controlled by ground services and the rescue system is located on the capsule.
What next?
In fact, this is a very small step, because China still has a lot to do. In fact, Mengzhou had already been in orbit in 2020. That flight was a test of the entire concept as a whole. The next step should be to test the crew rescue system during flight in dense layers of the atmosphere.
And there is considerable uncertainty attached to this step. The fact is that, in general, the new super-heavy Long March 10 rocket should be used to launch Mengzhou. However, it still exists only in the form of models and drawings. However, in reality, it is not necessary for atmospheric testing. Instead, the current “super heavy” Long March 5B can be used.
Overall, Mengzhou is set to become China’s next main spacecraft. In its single-component version, it will be used to deliver astronauts and cargo into Earth orbit. And the version with an additional module will be able to fly to the Moon.
This should happen for the first time before 2030, and it is clear that by that time, both Manzhou and Long March 10 should be ready. If this happens, China will have a good chance of overtaking the US, given that the Artemis program is set to be phased out gradually, and its replacement has not yet been decided.
According to spacenews.com
