On CNSA –China National Space Administration …. ChangZheng Long March 7A Wenchang, Hainan Province, China, People’s Republic of China At 1500 Beijing time on 12TH September, 2025, China’s new-generation manned carrier rocket, the Long March 10, successfully completed its second tethered fire test at the Wenchang Space Launch Center on September 12, 2025. All scheduled tethered fire tests were completed as planned…
At 1500 Beijing time, with the ignition command issued by the test command center, all seven engines of the rocket’s first-stage test vehicle ignited simultaneously, completing multiple test procedures according to the planned sequence. The test, lasting 320 seconds, focused on assessing the low-power operation and secondary ignition start-up capabilities of the seven parallel engines in the first stage. Complete test data was obtained, and the test was a complete success. To date, both planned tethered fire tests have been completed, comprehensively verifying the performance of the rocket’s first-stage propulsion system and the correctness and reliability of the recovery phase design. This marks a milestone in the development of the prototype of the Long March 10 series carrier rockets.
According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, China successfully organized and implemented the second tethered ignition test of the Long March 10 series carrier rocket at the Wenchang Space Launch Site, and completed all scheduled tethered ignition tests as planned. The test focused on assessing the low-operating conditions and secondary ignition startup capabilities of the seven parallel engines of the first stage of the rocket, obtained complete test data, and the test was a complete success. As of now, the two planned tethered ignition tests have been completed, comprehensively testing the performance of the rocket’s first-stage seven-engine power system and the correctness and reliability of the recovery phase work procedure design, marking a phased breakthrough in the development of the prototype of the Long March 10 series carrier rocket.
The Long March 10 series carrier rockets are a new generation of manned carrier rockets developed by the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation for manned lunar exploration missions. The tethered fire tests of the Long March 10 series of launch vehicles were conducted in a step-by-step, phased approach, focusing on two objectives: performance verification of the seven-engine, parallel-stage engine power system, and verification of recovery and reuse. These tests aimed to capture the true payload environment characteristics of the seven-engine, parallel-stage system and verify the recovery procedures. These tests were a key measure to mitigate risks associated with the maiden flight.
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration
