China developing reusable rocket that will be able to send manned missions to the moon

China is developing an advanced new rocket. This spaceship is expected to be able to be operable both in the lower orbit of Earth, as well as capable of landing humans on the moon.

It will also have rooms for several astronauts per Zhang Bainan, chief designer of manned spacecraft at China Aerospace Science and Technology Cooperation. The next-gen rocket from China will not only be reusable, but also offer a higher carrying capacity when compared to its foreign counterparts. This craft will apparently be able to carry up to six members in the lower orbit of Earth and nearly three or four astronauts during a moon landing operation per Zhang.

Currently, only the Orion spacecraft from the U.S. – which is being developed by the ESA and NASA – is equipped for a moon landing operation and is anticipated to ferry astronauts to the space in the next six years.

China most advanced current rocket is the Long March 5. CZ-5 is a Chinese heavy lift launch system developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). CZ-5 is the first Chinese vehicle with new design focusing on liquid rocket propellants from the ground up. Currently, two CZ-5 vehicle configurations are planned for different missions, with a maximum payload capacity of ~25,000 kilograms (55,000 lb) to LEO and ~14,000 kilograms (31,000 lb) to GTO. The Long March 5 is planned to roughly match the capabilities of American EELV heavy-class vehicles such as the Delta IV Heavy.

SOURCES- Tech Times, AP, Wikipedia

Comments are closed.