China is testing its largest, most powerful rocket in the province of Hainan. Called the Long March 5, the rocket is being assessed for future space missions, with a launch from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center scheduled in 2016.
Long March 5 is China's advanced heavy lift spacecraft that is almost 57 meters (187 feet) in height and 5 meters (16.4 feet) in diameter. The maximum payload capacity of the system is about 25 metric tons in Earth's low orbit and 14 tons in the geosynchronous orbit, or the orbit around the Earth that matches the planet's rotation. Such capacity is tantamount to that of the Delta IV and Atlas V, which are Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles from the United States.
To propel the engines, China's rocket will utilize either liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen, or liquid oxygen plus kerosene. With this, the developers said that the system will be more favorable for the environment.
Long March 5 is designed to perform numerous space explorations, including the launching of big lunar probes and the orbital placement of a space station that will house astronauts around the year 2020.
Officials said Long March 5 is the most exquisite space rocket that Chinese designers have ever built so far.
"Engineers are testing whether the rocket's various systems can work well with the Wenchang center," said Liu Tongjie, deputy head of lunar exploration and space programs at the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, the agency in-charge of the country's space endeavors. He further confirmed Long March 5's first flight during the latter part of 2016 if the current testing will exude successful outcomes.
Aside from Long March 5, China is also in the process of creating Long March 7, which is a smaller version that is also scheduled to launch in 2016. This rocket will be responsible for delivering the country's cargo spacecraft to the space station, as well as performing commercial launch service, in replacement of the Long March 2 and 3.
