Long March 10

Long March 10[3], also known as the "Next Generation crewed launch vehicle" , and previously and unofficially as the "921 rocket" or the "Long March 5G" (a development of the Long March 5), is a Chinese super-heavy carrier rocket for crewed lunar missions that is currently under development. The nickname "921" refers to September 21, the founding date in 1992 of China's human spaceflight program. In 2022, the first flight was targeted for 2027.[4] In April 2024, it was announced that program development was complete.[5]

The standard Long March 10 will be capable of lifting 70 tonnes into low Earth orbit (LEO) and 27 tonnes into trans-lunar injection trajectories.[6]

There are also plans for a two-stage variant without boosters, the Long March 10A,[7]

Overview

The Long March 10 is a human-rated super heavy launch vehicle designed to launch China's Mengzhou crewed lunar spacecraft and its future Lanyue crewed lunar lander, as part of its crewed space program, codenamed Project 921. Its notional debut was at the 12th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in November 2018, where it was announced that the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) is developing a vehicle with a lunar orbit capacity of up to 30 tons, meeting the requirements for crewed lunar exploration. Documents and presentations in subsequent years depicted modified Long March 5 configurations known as CZ-5DY (pinyin abbreviation for 'Deng Yue' 登月 or 'lunar landing'), CZ-5G, and CZ-5H.[4]

In February 2023, at the "30 Years of China's Manned Spaceflight" exhibition held at the National Museum of China, a model of the next-generation crew launch vehicle was labeled as "Long March 10." An article later published by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation also used the term "Long March 10" to refer to the rocket.[3]

Standard configuration

The standard variant of the vehicle consists of two boosters, first, second and third stage cores, escape tower, and fairing. The first-stage core and the two boosters each have a diameter of 5.0 meters and are equipped with 7 YF-100K engines (for a total of 21 operational engines at liftoff). The second-stage core has a diameter of 5.0 meters and is equipped with 2 YF-100M engines. The third-stage core has a diameter of 5.0 meters and is equipped with 3 YF-75E engines.[4][9] The vehicle's total length is approximately 90 meters, with a liftoff weight of 2,187 tons. The diameter of its core stage is the same as that of the Long March 5, but its height is about one-third taller.

The rocket has a payload capacity of 70 tonnes to low Earth orbit and at least 27 tonnes to a trans-lunar injection trajectory.[10] The proposed crewed lunar mission would use two Long March 10s; the crewed spacecraft and the lunar landing stack would launch separately and subsequently rendezvous in lunar orbit, prior to a crewed lunar landing attempt.[11] The development of the rocket along with relatively detailed specifications were announced at the 2020 China Space Conference.[10]

Long March 10A variant

The Long March 10A is a single stick variant with only 2 stages; it has 7 YF-100K engines on the first stage and a single YF-100M engine on the second stage, This variant is designed for low Earth orbit crew and cargo flights; it is part of the Chinese space program's plan to increase lift capacity, explore reusability, and phase out hypergolic fuels for its carrier fleet. The 10A will have a capability to low Earth orbit of at least 14 tonnes when the first stage is recovered and at least 18 tonnes when used in a completely expendable arrangement;[6] it will use kerosene as fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer. The rocket's first stage will have restartable engines and grid fins to enable reuse after stage recovery.[7] First stage landing and recovery will employ "tethered landing devices" in lieu of landing legs; this tethered system involves the deployment of "hooks" by the stage which would be caught by a tensioned wire system on the ground.[6] The first flight of the 10A is expected in 2026 with the test of China's Lanyue lunar lander.[12]

Long March 10B variant

In December 2025, it was reported on Chinese social media that a representative from the commercial arm of CALT (Chinarocket Co., Ltd.) presented plans for a commercial variant of the Long March 10A during the Wenchang International Aviation and Aerospace Forum 2025. This new variant, the Long March 10B, will have a payload capacity of at least 16 tonnes, likely in a reusable mode, to a 200 km low Earth orbit, and at least 11 tonnes to a 900 km orbit at 50 degrees orbital inclination.

Precursor design

An old proposal from 1992 for China's "project 921" envisioned the adoption of a modular design for a new generation of human-rated launch vehicles that would allow various payload combinations ranging from 11 tons to 70 tons to low Earth orbit. One such combination would have allowed China to pursue its own crewed lunar exploration program, including lunar orbit, circumlunar, and lunar landing missions. This proposal was not adopted.[13] However, elements of this old proposal appear to have survived in the current Long March 10 designs.

History

Proposal and development

2017
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) initiated preliminary research on the next-generation crew launch vehicle.[14]
CASC completes the first test run of the first-stage engine, YF-100K.[14]
2018
Jun–Jul, CASC completes three test-runs of the second stage engine, YF-100M[14]
Nov, a model of the next-generation crew launch vehicle made its first appearance at the 12th Zhuhai Airshow.[14]
2019
Sep, CASC announced the successful development of the first 5-meter diameter conical bottom structure storage tank, achieving a 15% weight reduction.[14]
Oct, a project named "5-meter Diameter Module of the Next-Generation Crew Launch Vehicle – Overall Technology and Engineering Application" successfully passed the acceptance review organized by the CMSA.[14]
Nov, CASC announced the successful development of a 5-meter liquid oxygen-kerosene storage tank.[14]
2020
Oct, full-scale structural prototype of the thrust transfer structure, which parallel-mounts seven new liquid oxygen-kerosene engines on the first stage had been manufactured and completed static load testing.[14]
2022
Jun 14, CASC conducts the first long-duration ignition test of the third-stage engine, YF-75E.[15]
July 28, CASC conducts static and dynamic test of multiple engines in parallel[16]
July 29, CASC conducts high-altitude, high-thrust long-duration test of the YF-75E third-stage engine.[15]
Sep–Oct, CASC completes three test runs (650 seconds in total) of the second-stage engine, YF-100M, using a large-sized titanium alloy nozzle extension concept. The engine passed the 105% high-altitude and high mixture ratio assessments and met the overall requirements.[17][14]
Oct, CASC announced that the cumulative test duration of the YF-75E third-stage engine had exceeded 10,000 seconds.[14]
Nov 26, CASC completes the first two ignition test runs of the YF-100K first-stage engine, achieving breakthroughs in key technologies such as high-pressure staged combustion with two ignitions, low-pressure start-up, and continuous thrust variation for reusable engines[14]
Nov–Dec, CASC conducted four consecutive test runs (a total of 2,100 seconds) of the YF-100K first-stage engine, with each engine working more than 8 times the mission duration.[14]
2023
Feb 24, an exhibition held at the National Museum of China showed the next-generation crew launch vehicle was officially named "Long March 10".[14]
March 29, the first eight-piece accumulator successfully passed the cryogenic shock and 1.4 MPa pressure tests. This component is used in the core stage's oxygen delivery system for the Long March 10.[14]
May 19, CASC successfully completes grid fin deployment test for the next-generation crew launch vehicle. This test, conducted at the conceptual verification stage, verified the correctness of the grid fin design. The grid fin is an aerodynamic control mechanism for rockets, often referred to as the "small wings" of the rocket. When deployed, it helps maintain the rocket's stability during descent and enables precise landing of the booster stage.[18]
May 28, CASC conducted the sixth test run of the YF-100K first-stage engine, with a cumulative test duration of 3,300 seconds, setting a new record for single-engine testing of a Chinese engine in the hundred-ton class.[14]
May 29, CMSA commences the lunar landing phase (Phase 4) of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, with the Long March 10 being developed as the main vehicle for the program.[19]
June 12, CASC completed the eighth test run of the YF-100K first-stage engine, with a cumulative test duration of 4,400 seconds, once again breaking the record for single-engine testing of a Chinese rocket engine in the hundred-ton class.[20]
2024
April 24, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), stated that the development of various articles necessary for China's lunar missions such as the Long March 10 carrier rocket have been completed; he added that mechanical and thermal products for the Mengzhou, Lanyue, and possibly for the carrier rocket as well have also been completed and that the needed rocket engines are undergoing hot fire tests. Furthermore, the crewed lunar exploration launch site for the Long March 10 is currently under construction near the existing coastal Wenchang spaceport in Hainan province.[5]
June 14, A successful test on Long March 10's sub-level propulsion system was conducted, marking the first large-scale ground test at a system wide level. During the test, three YF-100K first-stage engines started as expected, operated stably, and shut down on time, with all parameters testing normal; the three engines generated a combined thrust of 382 tonnes for several minutes.[21] Compatibility between the sub-level boost delivery system and the engine, the propellant refueling process, the multi-engine parallel transmission of force, and environmental characteristics were fully verified through technical testing, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) reported.[22] Simultaneously, construction activities on Long March 10's launch facilities at Wenchang Satellite Launch Center were confirmed to be underway by satellite imagery.[23]
November 20, A successful fairing sepearation test for the new rocket was carried out by CALT on or about 20 November 2024. The test evaluated the fairing design, connection structure, separation plan, and maximum available envelope of the fairing design; all design parameters were achieved during the November test.[24]
CZ-10's intended first-stage engine, the YF-100K, carried out its first orbital mission on 30 November 2024: four YF-100K successfully powered the new Long March 12 launcher on its maiden orbital launch from Hainan Island.[25]
2025
July 14, CALT indicated that it has begun the ground-test campaign to physically verify the structural integrity of a new human-rated rocket, mostly likely the CZ-10A and CZ-10, under the stress and strain of static and dynamic loads; these tests involve multi-machine combinations that replicate the nonlinear transmission of dynamic and static combined loads in structural compments. CALT's statements appear to show that "...it is making progress towards integrated systems testing and production of flight hardware."
August 15. CALT carried out a successful seven-engine static fire test of the future launcher's first-stage (CZ-10A) using a shortened first-stage test vehicle. This test was the first that simultaneously employed seven YF-100K variable thrust kerosene-liquid oxygen engines, a configuration that will be used on the actual launcher (previous static-fire tests used only up to three YF-100K engines at a time while the Long March 12 launcher uses four of these engines in its first-stage). The static fire test was conducted at the under-construction Launch Complex 301, part of the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan, China; photographs of the test appear to show that the rocket test-stage was held in place on top of the mobile launch platform for the future CZ-10 and CZ-10A. According to reportings in Chinese media, the August 15th static-fire test is the second of a four-steps rocket development plan (the June 2024 three YF-100k propulsion system test was the first of this four-steps process), next comes a "low-altitude" flight test which may be combined with stage recovery, and finally an orbital test-launch will conclude the testing campaign. Xu Hongping (徐洪平) from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation stated: “After that (the 8/15 static-fire test), combined with recovery technology verification, we will conduct a low-altitude flight test, followed by a technical verification and analysis of seven engines working together to achieve orbit.” ("之后再结合回收的技术验证，做一个低空飞行，再做一个7台发动机真正入轨的技术验证分析. ").
September 12, CMSA announced that a second hot fire test using a CZ-10 test stage was successfully carried out at the Wenchang Space Launch Center starting at 0700 UTC. The test lasted 320 seconds. Videos of the test appear to show three separate burns with restarts of the kerosene-oxygen engines; the three separate engine burns likely indicate simulations of launch, initiation of stage reentry burn, and initiation of the landing burn, with the latter two simulations verifying necessary steps for the recovery and potential reuse of the CZ-10A first stage.
October 30, the China Manned Space Agency announced that the first orbital mission (likely uncrewed) of the Mengzhou spacecraft will occur in 2026.
2026
February 11, a CZ-10A test-stage carrying the Mengzhou crew-module was launched on a sub-orbital mission to test the effectiveness of the crewed spacecraft's launch-escape system within the rocket's maximum dynamical pressure flight-regime. The missions for both the rocket test-stage and the crew-module were successful; after the Mengzhou crew-module separated from the still-funtioning CZ-10A test-stage, the latter went on to successfully simulate a post-staging landing profile. The test-stage finally splashed down in the ocean next to the recovery ship after a successful controlled descent. According to Zhu Pingping from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the CZ-10A test-stage's entire flight lasted approximately 470 seconds. Zhu stated that after 151 seconds of flight, the test-stage reached about 105 km in altitude, the height at which an actual CZ-10A orbital flight will carry out first-stage shut-down and stage-separation; the engines then shut down and the test-stage entered a glide and attitude adjustment period in near-vacuum conditions. During the test-stage's glide phase, its engines were pre-cooled and propellant tank pressure was applied to allow for the propellant to settle in preparation for the rocket's subsequent powered deceleration. Several of the engines were restarted at 350 seconds into the flight to decelerate the test-stage, they were shut off again at 410 seconds into the flight at which point the rocket entered into the aerodynamic deceleration phase of the flight. Three of the engines were subsequently restarted, but only one engine (the center engine) remained operational for the last 30 to 40 seconds of the flight until just piror to splashdown. For safety reasons, this initial stage recovery test aimed for a splashdown point that is 200 meters distant from the recovery ship; nevertheless, the recovery ship and the rocket operated synchronously in order to verify the procedural and mechanical sequences for future recovery of the rocket stage on board the ship.

family	Long March (rocket family)
success	1
launches	1 (first stage only)
status	In development
comparable	Space Launch System (Block 1) Ares I Falcon Heavy Energia New Glenn
stages	3
mass	2189000 kg‡R1R‡
diameter	5.0 m
height	92.5 m‡R1R‡
country-origin	China
manufacturer	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
function	Super heavy-lift launch vehicle

Overview

Standard configuration

Long March 10A variant

Long March 10B variant

Precursor design

History

Proposal and development

Launches

CZ-10 and CZ-10A

CZ-10B

See also

References