China’s new Long March 10A rocket will make its first flight in 2026. It will be an important step in the Celestial Empire’s effort to land humans on the Moon.
A model of the Long March 10A rocket will be presented at the Zhuhai Airshow in southern China, which opens on November 12. According to Science and Technology Daily, an official publication of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, the rocket is scheduled to debut in 2026.
Long March 10A has a length of 67.4 meters and a diameter of 5.0 meters. Its first stage has the ability to be reused. It will be used to launch a new-generation spacecraft to the Tiangong orbital station. With the first stage return mission, its maximum payload is 14.2 tons.
The commissioning of Long March 10A will be a key step in realizing the Celestial Empire’s larger ambitions. The fact is that the more powerful three-stage carrier modification under development, known as Long March 10, will be the main workhorse of the Chinese lunar program. This rocket will be 92 meters long and will be able to send up to 27 tons of cargo to the Moon. This is comparable to the capabilities of the American super-heavy SLS rocket. This summer, Chinese engineers successfully burned a prototype of its first stage.
In order to land humans on the Moon, China plans to involve two Long March 10 rockets. The mission plan is as follows. One of the rockets will put the Mengzhou spacecraft carrying taikonauts into orbit around the Moon, while the other will carry the Lanyue descent vehicle. They will dock, after which two taikonauts will descend to the surface while the third will remain in orbit. Expedition members will spend six hours on the Moon, after which they will take off, join their counterpart in lunar orbit and return to Earth.
Recall that NASA plans to land people on the Moon as part of the Artemis III mission. At the moment, its realization is scheduled for 2026. But due to a number of complications with both equipment and ground infrastructure, that date will almost inevitably be shifted. So China has a very real chance to surpass the US in the 21st century lunar race.
Provided by Spacenews
