China conducts spacecraft safety test, low-altitude flight of Long March-10 rocket
Exercise marks first flight of Long March-10 carrier rocket being developed for crewed lunar missions
Visitors experience space walk training at Guangdong Science Center during the World Space Week on October 6,2022 in Guangzhou,Guangdong Province of China.
ISTANBUL
China on Wednesday conducted a safety test for a spacecraft and carried out a low-altitude demonstration and verification flight of its Long March-10 carrier rocket in Hainan province, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The exercise marked the first flight of the Long March-10 carrier rocket, which is being developed to transport Chinese astronauts to the moon, the South China Morning Post reported.
Mengzhou, an uncrewed spacecraft, lifted off at 11 am (0300 GMT) from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan aboard a prototype Long March-10 rocket.
Shortly after launch, the Mengzhou capsule separated from the rocket and later splashed down at its designated ocean landing site.
The escape test involving the Mengzhou crew spacecraft was intended to confirm that astronauts could be brought back safely if a problem occurred during launch.
Although a ground-level safety test was completed in June, the latest trial was designed to ensure that the crew could escape after liftoff.
