The demonstration is a crucial step in China\u2019s plans to attempt to land astronauts on the moon by 2030<\/a>. The Mengzhou in-flight abort test echoes NASA\u2019s Orion 2019<\/a> abort test.<\/p>\n The demonstration launch vehicle was adapted from a Long March 10 short stage which has completed two tethered ignition tests<\/a> in 2025. Mengzhou underwent a pad abort test<\/a> in June 2025. These tests add to a series of crewed lunar hardware tests conducted by China over the past year, including a landing and liftoff test<\/a> of the Lanyue lunar lander in August 2025.The Long March 10A is a single-stick variant for low Earth orbit (LEO) being developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The full Long March 10 will be a tri-core rocket. Separate launches of the Long March 10 will send a Mengzhou and lunar lander stack into translunar injection where the spacecraft will dock ahead of a lunar landing attempt.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mengzhou is designed to be partially reusable and eventually replace the Soyuz-derived Shenzhou for LEO while also allowing missions to the moon. Mengzhou features a service module and a crew module and can carry six or seven astronauts to LEO, while a heavier variant can carry three astronauts to the moon to dock with a lunar lander stack. The three-module Shenzhou can carry three astronauts and is limited to LEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n The successful demonstration launch and abort tests pave the way for more significant tests for China\u2019s crewed lunar program later this year. The country now appears clear to proceed with a planned full orbital Long March 10A launch test<\/a> with the first Mengzhou spacecraft, with the mission potentially involving a visit to, or co-orbiting with, the Tiangong space station.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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