On 11 February 2026, a Long March 10 rocket lifted off from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan at 11:00 a.m. Beijing time. The test paired a low altitude demonstration with a maximum dynamic pressure abort of the Mengzhou crew spacecraft.
Both the first stage and the Mengzhou return capsule came down in the sea under control. The China Manned Space Agency said the mission was the first flight of a Long March 10 prototype. It was also China’s first crewed-spacecraft abort test at maximum dynamic pressure, and its first sea recovery of both a crew capsule and a rocket first stage.
Xinhua reported that Mengzhou separated and ran through its abort sequence after receiving commands from the rocket. A maritime recovery team pulled the capsule from a predetermined sea zone.
An earlier ground test
A ground test on Hainan Island fired seven YF-100K engines for 30 seconds on an actual launch pad, producing about 900 tonnes of thrust. “The test confirmed the engines could run in sync under both normal and high-power conditions, and yielded a full set of data,” the China Manned Space Agency said.
Guo Wei, the rocket’s deputy chief commander, told China Daily that the team had to fire the engines on a launch pad because standard test stands could not take the load. The trial produced nearly 1,000 tonnes of thrust. The Long March 10 produces about three times the thrust of a Long March 5. Fully assembled, it stands 92 meters tall and carries 21 engines: seven in the core and seven on each of its two boosters.
Development of the Long March 10 began in 2017. An earlier milestone came in June 2024, when three YF-100K engines fired together for several minutes. During the ground test, engineers also checked heat-resistant coatings, fault detection systems, and the multi-engine setup.
Lunar mission profile
China plans two launches for a crewed lunar landing. Mengzhou will carry the crew, and Lanyue will carry the lander. The two vehicles will dock in lunar orbit before astronauts move into the lander. The rocket can send 27 tonnes toward the Moon.
Before the February flight, engineers ran tethered ignition trials. In June 2025 they completed a zero altitude abort test of Mengzhou. They also verified Lanyue’s landing and ascent systems in integrated tests. Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, said earlier that the crewed lunar program is advancing steadily.
Later this year, China intends to send the Mengzhou 1 spacecraft to dock with Tiangong. The vehicle uses a return capsule and service module that can support both low Earth orbit and lunar flights. A reusable Long March 10A variant is also being developed for Earth orbit, similar in concept to SpaceX’s Falcon 9. China and its partners, including Russia, are aiming for an International Lunar Research Station at the lunar south pole by 2035.
Sources
- China tests Long March 10 rocket in step toward 2030 moon landing
- China tests Long March-10 rocket with 990-ton thrust for moon mission
