China’s space program entered a new phase of reusable rocket development after the successful maiden flight and recovery of the Long March 10B, a vehicle that serves as a testbed for technologies destined for even larger launchers. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) has scheduled at least three additional flights of the 10B across 2024 and 2025, each designed to incrementally improve landing precision and payload capacity.
The data generated will directly inform the design of future reusable stages for the Long March 9, a super-heavy rocket under development for missions to Mars. These tests mark the beginning of a tightly scheduled campaign that Chinese space officials have laid out across the rest of the decade.
A Step-by-Step Lunar Roadmap
CALT has published a detailed sequence of flights for the Long March 10 family that leads to a crewed lunar landing. The next major engineering milestone is a full-duration static fire test of the crewed Long March 10 variant, planned for 2025. If that test succeeds, an uncrewed orbital test of the full Long March 10 stack is scheduled for 2027.
That flight will be followed by a crewed lunar flyby in 2028, marking the first time Chinese astronauts will leave low Earth orbit since the Shenzhou missions to the Tiangong space station. The first crewed lunar landing is targeted for 2030 and will require two Long March 10 launches: one carrying the crew capsule and a second carrying the lunar lander.
These steps fit within a broader space exploration plan that already includes the permanently crewed Tiangong station, with a longer-term goal of establishing a lunar research station by 2035.
Reusability Data for the Next Generation
The Long March 10B’s reusability data is considered critical for the Long March 9 program. The 10B’s successful recovery demonstrated that China can now land and reuse a first stage, a capability previously demonstrated by other nations. By testing reusable stage technologies on the smaller 10B, CALT can refine systems before committing them to the much larger Long March 9, which is designed for Mars missions with a first flight expected around 2033.
The incremental improvements planned for the next three 10B flights will push landing precision tighter and payload capacity higher. Those missions will also provide the first real data on refurbishment costs and re-flight reliability, both essential for making reusable launch operations economically viable.
What to Watch Next
In the near term, the next visible milestone is the static fire test of the crewed Long March 10 variant in 2025. If that test passes, the 2027 uncrewed orbital test will be the first time the full Long March 10 stack flies in space.
The three additional 10B flights scheduled across 2024 and 2025 will meanwhile provide the first operational experience with a reusable booster. Readers following international space competition should understand these steps as part of a wider plan with long-range milestones rather than isolated flights. China operates a centralized space program under state direction as part of broader national development.
Economic reforms that began in the late 1970s shifted the country toward a market-oriented system and produced large industrial expansion, making China the world’s leading manufacturer and a major force in global science and technology. Space activities form one part of that technological push.
The current rocket tests matter because they show a state-led effort to develop reusable launch systems and crewed lunar access, with a cadence that extends across the coming decade and into the 2030s.
