China has successfully launched the new generation of its heavy-lift carrier rocket, the Long March-5.
The event took place at the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island. According to the current plans, the rocket is programmed to become the main carrier for China's space stations, as well as its lunar and Mars missions.
The country's plans for a permanent space station are firmly in position. Following the agenda with this successful launch, the heavy-lift Long March-5 rocket will enable ambitious missions in the future, among which is a planned trip to Mars, according to current plans.
The rocket was launched on Nov. 3 and it will be used to launch components for the Tiangong 2 space station, as well as a series of other massive payloads. Tiangong 2's precursor facility was launched back in September, and it sent two astronauts in October in order to live in space for a month, part of the biggest plan to own a permanent manned station service in 2022.
The station has a 20-ton core module, and it is programmed to be launched in 2018. The entire 60-ton station is expected to be used into full service for at least 10 years.
The Tiangong stations are considered to be the bottom of the pyramid in the context of the unmanned mission to Mars happening in only a few years. They will be all the more important since Tiangong 2 may be the only space station left in 2024, when the ISS completes its mission.
The following mission of the Long March-5 will consist of lofting the robotic Chang'e 5 probe to the moon in 2017, to land a rover before it returns to Earth with samples.
The rocket is China's largest, and it has the capacity to carry up to 25 tons of payload in low-Earth orbit and up to 14 tons to the geostationary transfer orbit. These specifications are more than double the carrying power of the Long March-7, currently the country's most capable rocket.
The successful launch of the Long March-5 "has propelled China to the forefront of the world in terms of rocket carrying capacity, and marks a milestone in China's transition from a major player in space to a major power in space," said the ruling Communist Party's Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission in a letter, according to the Xinhua state press agency.
Another new characteristic of the Long March-5 is that it's more environmentally friendly than its previous counterparts. Its kerosene-liquid oxygen-liquid hydrogen mix is less expensive as well, which could be interpreted as a position of the country's commitment to also take into consideration environmental factors in their future space projects.
