长征十号Long March 10 series rockets used for manned lunar landing and other missions successfully completed the test of the first-stage rocket power system. During the test, the engine started normally, worked stably, shut down at a fixed time, and all parameters were tested normally. This test is the first system-level large-scale ground test of the Long March 10 series of launch vehicles. The matching of the first-stage booster delivery system and the engine, the propellant filling process, the multi-machine parallel power transmission and environmental characteristics and other technologies were fully verified.
Long March 10 rocket is a three-and-a-half-stage rocket developed for the manned lunar exploration project. The total length of the rocket is 92.5 meters, the takeoff weight is about 2,189 tons, the takeoff thrust is about 2,678 tons, and the Earth-Moon transfer orbit carrying capacity is not less than 27 tons. In the future, it will be used to launch a new generation of manned spacecraft and lunar landers. In addition, the Long March 10 has also designed another booster-free configuration that can perform space station astronaut and cargo transportation tasks….
The engine is the power source of the rocket, and its development process is very complicated. Test run is an important link in the engine development process, and there are dozens of types. In layman’s terms, engine test run is the process of igniting the engine and verifying the rationality of its design scheme and process reliability. This is an indispensable and important part of the development and delivery of a type 1 engine. It will run through all stages before and after engine development. Each stage of test run has different meanings, and the ignition time varies from a few seconds to hundreds of seconds.
It is reported that the engine used in this test run uses advanced liquid oxygen kerosene as fuel, which is improved and iterated from the high-thrust liquid oxygen kerosene engine used by the new generation of launch vehicles such as the Long March 5. The thrust reaches 130 tons. The R&D team of the Sixth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group adheres to the concept of digital design, and has successively overcome key technical problems such as engine start-up and shutdown sequence, engine wide-range continuously variable thrust, and engine long life and high reliability.
In addition, the continuous success of the test run has fully verified the reliability of a number of new carrying process technologies. The engine production of this test run adopts the concept of intelligent manufacturing, and actively applies new materials, new processes, and new technologies. The inner wall of the thrust chamber of the core component adopts a new protective coating, key assemblies adopt automatic welding technology, and a large number of components adopt 3D printing technology.
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.
The grid fins and recovery hook on the top of a Long March 10 test rocket are clearly visible, while the bottom appears to have leading-edge fins (correction: it should be external piping), giving a glimpse of the future of marine net-system recovery…
Comparing the Long March 10A and the Long March 10 series stationary rocket (modified from
a CZ-10A) to a scaled-down CZ-10A makes the difference quite clear. The “Long March 10 stationary rocket + top counterweight” currently erected in Wenchang for the Mengzhou MaxQ escape test is exactly the same length as the first stage of the CZ-10A (the grid fin positions even match). It’s speculated that a fake second stage may be added later to simulate full-scale flight.
I. Core Tasks and Latest Developments
The Long March 10 (codename CZ-10), the core launch vehicle for China’s manned lunar landing program, has recently completed several key tests, accelerating the verification of the manned lunar landing system .- Tethered ignition test : Two tests were completed in Wenchang in August and September 2025, successfully verifying the stability of seven YF-100K engines working in parallel (130 tons thrust per engine), and breaking through the performance of low-condition operation, secondary ignition start-up and thermal protection materials.
- Escape test preparation : In January 2026, a Long March 10 test rocket body with a top counterweight was found at the Wenchang 301 launch site. It is intended to be used for the maximum dynamic pressure escape test of the Mengzhou spacecraft to simulate the astronauts’ escape ability under extreme flight conditions. @ChinaAirlines…43240
- Low-altitude flight test : planned for 2026, to verify the attitude control and landing accuracy of the rocket recovery stage, laying the foundation for reusability.@Zhang Yan of Houen Investment…55
- Derivative Model First Flight Countdown
- Long March 10A (CZ-10A) : Dedicated configuration for low Earth orbit, reusable first stage, with a payload capacity of ≥14 tons. Its maiden flight is planned for 2026, carrying out the docking mission of the Mengzhou-1 unmanned spacecraft with the space station. The launch window is tentatively set for February 11 (unofficially confirmed).@Kaldarwalich143639
- Long March 10B (CZ-10B) : A commercial launch model with a reusable first-stage liquid oxygen-methane engine. It is planned to make its maiden flight in April 2026 and attempt to recover the rocket using a network system on a sea platform
II. Technological Breakthroughs and Design Innovation
- Recyclable technology route
- The net-based recovery system employs a patented design with telescopic damping rods and hook mechanisms to cushion the impact of a rocket’s tilted landing, making it suitable for recovery from offshore platforms. Supporting equipment has entered mass production, with companies such as Taisheng Wind Power participating in the supply. @Vony7153146
- Engine reliability : The YF-100K engine passed the 320-second long-duration ignition test and passed the 15 repeated ignition verifications, providing support for reuse.twenty three67
- Performance parameters international benchmarking
- Comparison of Chinese and American rockets : The Long March 10 has a lunar transfer orbit payload capacity of 27 tons, comparable to the American SLS Block 1 (26 tons); however, the SLS’s takeoff thrust (3752 tons) is significantly higher than that of the Long March 10 (2678 tons).8
- Modular design : This has led to the development of lunar landing version (CZ-10), space station cargo version (CZ-10A), and commercial version (CZ-10B), enabling flexible adaptation to missions
III. Strategic Background and Project Milestones
- The goal of landing on the moon by 2030 is clear.
- Mission architecture : The mission will employ a “two-launch, lunar docking” model. First, the Long March 10 rocket will launch the lunar lander into lunar orbit, followed by the launch of the Mengzhou spacecraft for docking, after which the astronauts will transfer to the lander to land on the moon.@CCTVNews3061
- Timeline : The lunar-landing version of the rocket is planned for its maiden flight in 2027, the manned spacecraft will be launched in 2028, and Chinese people will land on the moon before 2030. @People’s Daily4954
- Supporting systems work together to advance
- Launch site construction : Three lightning protection towers at launch site 301 in Wenchang have been completed, and the fourth is nearing completion. The final assembly plant is nearly 100 meters high, housing facilities for the Long March 5 and Long March 7 rockets, supporting tests of rocket bodies up to 100 meters in length.21238
- Takionaut Training : 28 active-duty astronauts completed a 6-day closed-loop survival training in the Wulong Karst Cave in Chongqing, simulating the extreme environment of the moon
IV. Industry Impact and Market Attention
- Commercial Spaceflight Boom
- The rocket race is heating up : More than 10 new rockets are planned to make their maiden flights in China in 2026, with the national Long March 10B competing with private rockets such as the Zhuque-3 and Tianlong-3 for breakthroughs in reusable technology. 47566075
- Satellite networking is driving the development of China’s StarNet and Qianfan constellations, which require tens of thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites, thus necessitating high-frequency rocket launches. The Hainan launch site is expanding with four launch pads, increasing its annual launch capacity to over 60 launches.@StockMarketAngela76
- Capital Market Linkage
- Concept stocks in focus : Aerospace Power (engines), Chaojie Shares (structural components), and Western Materials (titanium alloys) are attracting attention, while the stock prices of companies that recycle patents through the Internet system are fluctuating.
V. Little-known facts: Engineering details and humanistic perspectives
- AI-simulated scenario : The First Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology released an AI rendering of the Long March 10 rocket standing at its Wenchang launch site, showing that the rocket may adopt an inclined support design. 1244
- The names are deeply meaningful : the “Dream Boat” spacecraft embodies the dream of carrying people into the universe, while the “Moon Lander” is derived from the poem “able to ascend to the ninth heaven and reach for the moon”, continuing the lineage of Chinese culture.3670
Images and visuals are from their Respectives CMS China Manned SpaceCNSA-China National Space Administration