On the 17th June 2025 Hours Hong- Kong SAR – Beijing time CNSA –China National Space Administration , China, People’s Republic of China At 1230 Hong Kong SAR- Beijing Time Important breakthrough! Dream Boat zero-altitude escape flight test achieved complete success China’s new generation of manned spacecraft “Dream Boat” zero-altitude escape flight test achieved complete success. China’s manned lunar exploration project development work has achieved new important breakthroughs
Beijing time on June 17, 2025, China successfully organized and implemented the zero-altitude escape flight test of the Dream Boat manned spacecraft at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, marking a new important breakthrough in the development of China’s manned lunar exploration project. This is the first time that China has organized and implemented this test again after the zero-altitude escape flight test of the Shenzhou manned spacecraft in 1998.
At 12:30, the ignition command was issued, and the escape engine of the Dream Boat manned spacecraft was successfully ignited. The ship-tower assembly took off under the propulsion of the solid engine. After about 20 seconds, it reached the predetermined height. The return capsule and the escape tower were safely separated, and the parachute was successfully deployed. At 12:32, the return capsule used airbag cushioning to safely land in the predetermined area of the test landing area, and the test was a complete success.
Compared with the Shenzhou spacecraft, the previous mode of “rocket responsible for escape and spacecraft responsible for life-saving” has been changed. The Mengzhou manned spacecraft system assumes the overall function of escape and is fully responsible for both escape and life-saving tasks. Through the test, the escape and life-saving subsystem and related large systems of the Mengzhou manned spacecraft were comprehensively evaluated. At the same time, the correctness and matching of the design of escape timing, escape separation, escape trajectory closed-loop control, etc. were verified, and the escape flight parameters were obtained.
Escape and life-saving is an important safety guarantee for manned flight missions. In the event of an emergency failure, the spacecraft return capsule carrying astronauts can be taken away from the dangerous area and ensure the safe return of astronauts to the ground. The Mengzhou manned spacecraft is a new generation of manned earth-to-earth round-trip transportation aircraft developed completely independently by China for subsequent manned space missions. The spacecraft itself adopts a modular design and can carry up to 7 astronauts. The performance of the whole ship has reached the international advanced level.
In the future, the Mengzhou manned spacecraft will become the core manned spacecraft supporting the application and development of space stations, manned lunar exploration and other tasks. The success of this test has laid an important technical foundation for subsequent manned lunar exploration missions. In addition, the development of spacecraft such as the Long March 10 carrier rocket and lunar lander for manned lunar exploration mission is progressing steadily, and relevant tests will be organized and implemented as planned in the future.
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration
