Saifullah Sani
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2011
- Messages
- 3,338
- Reaction score
- 2
- Country
- Location
Chinese scientists have completed a ground test on the power system of the country's next-generation carrier rocket which may fly as early as next year.
Scientists test-fired the engines of Long March-5, which uses non-toxic and no-polluting liquefied propellant, on a ground facility to test coordination and reliability of the power system, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) said.
The Long March-5 rockets, designed for the final chapter of China's three-step orbiting, landing and finally returning lunar programme, and for the launches of future space stations, will have a payload capacity of 25 tonnes to low Earth orbits, or 14 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit, Xinhua reported.
A test flight for Long March-5 has been scheduled in 2016 from China's Hainan province, the SASTIND said.
China tests new carrier rocket's power system
