China has successfully conducted an escape flight test on its lunar spacecraft Mengzhou, which means “dream ship” in Mandarin. By 2030, the country plans to send three Chinese astronauts to land on the moon.
It was the second zero-altitude escape flight test in 27 years, following the first one conducted by the Shenzhou manned spacecraft in 1998. Zero altitude means the test was performed on the ground instead of high in the air.
The launch escape system or tower, powered by solid rocket motors (SRMs), was installed at the tip of the Mengzhou aircraft’s return capsule. In an emergency during a launch, the capsule is to be separated from the rocket within two seconds whenever the system detects any abnormal situation.
During the test on June 17, the integrated spacecraft and launch escape tower assembly ascended and reached its designated altitude in about 20 seconds. The return capsule separated from the escape tower and landed on the ground with a parachute in two minutes.
According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), Mengzhou’s escape and rescue subsystems are now centralized in the spacecraft. In Shenzhou’s case, the rocket handled the escape functions.
“Mengzhou will become the core manned spacecraft sustaining the application and development of China’s space station, manned lunar exploration, and other tasks,” said the CMSA. “The successful test has laid an important technical foundation for the subsequent human-crewed lunar exploration missions.”
The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) Fourth Academy, the developer of the launch escape tower, said in a statement on June 24 that its team has achieved many breakthroughs in developing SRMs, which use solid propellants to generate thrust.
It said such an achievement significantly improved Mengzhou’s escape system compared with Shenzhou’s.
“For the first time, we were responsible for developing the escape system’s server using self-developed sensors and mechanics,” it said on June 24. “We also developed the software and algorithms to control the SRMs, and used environmentally friendly rocket fuels.”
“We will continue to take practical actions to realize China’s dream of sending people to the moon,” it said.
In January 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on the CASIC Fourth Academy and accused it of acting contrary to US national security or foreign policy interests.
After testing the escape system, CMSA’s next key mission is to launch the Long March 10A rocket in 2026.
Long March 10
China launched its uncrewed Chang’e 6 spacecraft to the moon in May last year using the Long March 5 rocket.
Long March 5, nicknamed “Fat Five,” has eight YF-100 rocket engines in four boosters, and two YF-77 engines on its first stage. Total thrust is 10,636 kilonewtons (kN). It can lift 25 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO), 14 tons to the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) and 8 tons to the Earth-moon-transfer orbit, or trans-lunar injection (TLI) trajectory.
Such lifting power is not enough to support China’s crewed lunar mission.
Long March 10 is an upgraded version of Long March 5. It has 14 YF-100 engines in two boosters and seven more on its first stage. The total thrust is 26,250 kN. It can lift 70 tons to LEO and 27 tons to TLI.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) planned to launch the Long March 10 in 2027. However, it said last November that it would launch the Long March 10A in 2026.
The Long March 10A is the Long March 10 without two boosters. It can lift 14 tons, or a spacecraft with up to seven people, to LEO, and can be reused.
“The development of our next-generation crewed Long March 10 rocket is on schedule,” said Wang Yue, a researcher at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. “We have achieved some breakthroughs in developing reusable rockets, and have already started producing the components.
According to CNSA’s plan, China will launch the Long March 10 thrice between 2027 and 2030. By 2030, the fourth and fifth launches will be a moon lander (Lanyue) and the Mengzhou spacecraft, respectively. None of these rockets will be reused.
During the 2030 mission, the spacecraft carrying three astronauts will dock with the lander before landing on the moon.
In 2023, CNSA decided to launch the lander and spacecraft separately, as its more powerful Long March 9 rocket will only be available after 2030.
‘China’s backyard’
Some Chinese commentators said the lunar exploration mission of the Long March 10 will continue to expand after Chinese astronauts’ landing on the moon.
“Landing on the moon is only a small part of our country’s lunar exploration plan,” a Sichuan-based columnist writes in an article last month. “We have a much bigger goal – to transform the moon into China’s backyard.”
“After our astronauts reach the moon, our people will move and live there sooner or later,” he says. “We will chat and have entertainment on the moon, treating the place like our backyard.”
He says Chinese astronauts will build houses on the moon and frequently travel between the Earth and the moon.
He says China will also use its space technology to boost ties with other countries and help send astronauts from different countries to the moon. Ultimately, China will discover how to extract water and make oxygen using resources on the moon.
“Our lunar plan keeps accelerating, while the United States keeps postponing its plan,” he says. “It is possible that China will beat the US in sending people to the moon in this round of the space race.”
On December 19, 1972, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) landed humans on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission.
It plans to revisit the Moon in mid-2027 with the Artemis III mission. Two of four astronauts, including the first woman and first person of color, are to land on the Moon’s South Pole for a week of scientific exploration.
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