Chinese scientists have successfully tested the power system of a Long March-5 carrier rocket scheduled for flight in 2016. The fifth-generation launch vehicle of the Long March family, has entered a “runoff” phase. The rocket will have a payload capacity of 25 tonnes to low Earth orbits, or 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit, about twice the current capacity.
The rocket will serve the final chapter of China’s three-step — orbiting, landing and returning — lunar program and the building of manned space stations. The Long March rocket family has completed more than 200 missions since 1970, when a Long March-1 rocket sent China’s first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1, or “the East is Red”, into Earth orbit.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is the national space agency of the People’s Republic of China.
It is responsible for the national space program and for planning and development of space activities.
China plans to include a permanent Chinese space station in 2020 and crewed expeditions to the Moon and Mars.
What is a carrier rocket?
