China Conducts First Flight Test of Long March-10 Rocket

(MENAFN) China on Wednesday carried out a safety evaluation of a spacecraft and performed a low-altitude demonstration and verification flight of its Long March-10 carrier rocket in Hainan province, the China Manned Space Agency announced.

This operation represented the maiden flight of the Long March-10 carrier rocket, which is being developed to transport Chinese astronauts to the moon, according to a media outlet.

The uncrewed spacecraft Mengzhou was launched at 11 a.m. (0300 GMT) from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan atop a prototype Long March-10 rocket.

Shortly after liftoff, the Mengzhou capsule separated from the rocket and subsequently landed safely at its designated ocean recovery site.

The escape test involving the Mengzhou crew spacecraft was conducted to verify that astronauts could be returned safely in case of an emergency during launch.

While a ground-level safety evaluation was completed in June, this most recent trial aimed to confirm that the crew could evacuate the vehicle successfully after lift-off.

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