China successfully conducted a dual-purpose low-altitude flight test Wednesday at 03:00 UTC (Feb. 11), marking a major leap in its manned lunar exploration program. The test, carried out at the newly built Launch Complex 301 of the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan Province, involved a prototype Long March-10A reusable booster and an uncrewed Mengzhou ("Dream Vessel") crewed spacecraft.
The mission achieved two critical milestones in a single flight: a maximum dynamic pressure (Max-Q) abort test for the Mengzhou capsule and a controlled vertical landing of the Long March-10A’s first stage designed to be reusable, like that of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket.
The liftoff of the Long March-10A was powered by seven YF-100K kerosene-fueled engines. After about one minute of ascent, the rocket reached Max-Q—when aerodynamic forces are at their peak. At this critical moment, the Mengzhou spacecraft’s integrated launch escape system activated, with its escape tower igniting to pull the return capsule away from the booster. The capsule then deployed three large parachutes (totaling over 2,400 m²) to decelerate and safely splash down in the South China Sea, confirming its ability to ensure crew safety during an in-flight emergency.
Meanwhile, the Long March-10A booster continued its flight, performed a high-altitude engine restart for trajectory adjustment, followed by a hover ignition just before landing. It executed a propulsive splashdown in the ocean near a recovery vessel equipped with a wire net system, marking China’s first successful maritime recovery of a reusable rocket stage. This achievement validates key technologies for reusability, including multiple engine restarts, precise navigation, and high-precision landing control.
The Long March-10 is still in development, and Wednesday's flight did not come close to reaching orbit. But the rocket's splashdown success was still a major milestone on the road to recovery and reuse. It is a key piece of China's moon plans as well: a new heavy lifter that will launch the nation's astronauts to the lunar planet. China has also made progress recently with its crewed lunar lander, a vehicle named Lanyue.
The Long March-10A is a single-core, reusable variant for low Earth orbit missions, while the full three-core Long March-10 will power heavy-lift missions to the Moon. This test confirms the maturity of both systems and positions China as a direct competitor to NASA’s Artemis program.
NASA aims to send astronauts to the moon in 2028 on the Artemis 3 mission, which will use a modified version of SpaceX's Starship vehicle as its lander. Artemis 3 will follow Artemis 2, a crewed trip around the moon that could launch as soon as next month, and will employ NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule.
The Mengzhou capsule, designed to carry up to seven astronauts to low Earth orbit or three on lunar missions, is intended to replace the Shenzhou spacecraft and will serve as the primary crew transport for China’s 2030 manned lunar landing goal.
Wednesday's test was a first for China in multiple aspects: the first low-altitude flight of the Long March-10 rocket, the first in-flight Max-Q abort test for a crewed spacecraft, and the first sea-based recovery of both a crewed spacecraft return capsule and a rocket first stage.
