China tests Long March-10 rocket and Mengzhou crew capsule, placing them on track to reach the Moon

China's CMSA carried out the first ignition flight of the Long March-10 and an in-flight abort test of the Mengzhou crew capsule on Feb. 11 at Wenchang, with both the capsule and the rocket's first stage recovered at sea. Officials said the flight validated key ascent and return profiles for the system.

China's manned space agency completed a combined test of the Long March-10 rocket and the Mengzhou crew capsule on Feb. 11 at the Wenchang launch site in Hainan Province. The mission blended the rocket's inaugural ignition flight with an in-flight abort demonstration for the crew vehicle. Officials described several program "firsts" during the mission, and reported that both the capsule and the rocket's first stage landed in their designated sea recovery zones. The launch used a newly constructed pad intended for lunar missions. Key facts: - The test combined a low-altitude demonstration of the Long March-10 with an in-flight abort test for the Mengzhou spacecraft. - Officials called this the rocket's first ignition flight and China's first maximum-dynamic-pressure (Max Q) escape test for a spacecraft. - Both the Mengzhou return capsule and the Long March-10 first stage splashed down in predetermined sea recovery areas and were retrieved. - The Long March-10 family has two configurations, including a 10A variant without strap-on boosters, and is powered by seven LOX-kerosene engines in parallel. - Flight actions reported included stage separation, grid fin deployment near about 110 km altitude, multiple engine reignitions for deceleration, a hover near sea level, and a tether recovery simulation before splashdown. Summary: Officials said the flight validated ascent and return profiles for the Long March-10 series and the 10A return profile, which they reported will help eliminate and control risks for subsequent formal mission flight tests. The test moves China closer to its stated goal of landing crew on the Moon by 2030; specific next mission dates were not provided.