China successfully carried out a low-altitude demonstration flight of the "Long March-10" carrier rocket, as well as an emergency separation test at maximum dynamic pressure of its new manned spacecraft "Menzhou", reports the "Xinhua" agency, reports News.bg.
The tests were conducted at the coastal launch site "Wenchang" in the southern island province of Hainan and represent a significant step forward in the country's program to send astronauts to the moon, the China Manned Space Administration (CMSA) said.
Beijing aims to conduct a manned mission to the moon before 2030. The spacecraft "Mengzhou" - whose name means "dream ship" - was developed specifically for this purpose.
The "Changchong-10" rocket took off at 11:00 Beijing time. After reaching the conditions for maximum dynamic pressure, a separation command was given, during which "Mengzhou" successfully performed separation maneuvers from the rocket.
According to the CMSA, the tests included a new rocket model, a new spacecraft and a new launch pad, as well as sea rescue operations. Both the rocket and the ship were in prototype configuration.
The tests also marked several historic achievements for the Chinese space program: the first ignition and flight of the "Long March-10" in a prototype version; the first test of an emergency abort of a manned ship at maximum dynamic pressure; the first sea landing of the return capsule and the first stage of the rocket; and the first flight from the newly built launch site in Wenchang.
The agency stressed that the success of the tests provided valuable flight data and engineering experience for future manned missions to the Moon.