Long March 10
Long March 10 (Chinese: 长征十号), also known as the “Next Generation crewed launch vehicle” (Chinese: 新一代载人运载火箭), and previously and unoffically as the “921 rocket” (Chinese: 921火箭) 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 the founding date of China's human spaceflight program. In 2022, the first flight of the Long March 10 was targeted for 2027. By January 2024, the first flight's target was moved up to 2025-26.
1:10 scale model of the Long March 10 at the National Museum of China | |
| Function | Super heavy-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| Country of origin | People's Republic of China |
| Size | |
| Height | 89–93.2 m (292–306 ft) |
| Diameter | 5.0 m (16.4 ft) |
| Mass | 2,187,000–2,189,000 kg (4,822,000–4,826,000 lb) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to Low Earth orbit | |
| Mass | 70,000 kg (150,000 lb) |
| Payload to Trans-lunar injection | |
| Mass | 27,000 kg (60,000 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Long March (rocket family) |
| Comparable |
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| Launch history | |
| Status | In development |
| Boosters | |
| No. boosters | 2 |
| Diameter | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Powered by | 7 YF-100K |
| Maximum thrust | Sea level: 8,750 kN (1,970,000 lbf) Vacuum: 9,772 kN (2,197,000 lbf) |
| Total thrust | Sea level: 17,500 kN (3,900,000 lbf) Vacuum: 19,544 kN (4,394,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | Sea level: 301.6 s (2.958 km/s) Vacuum: 337 s (3.30 km/s) |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX |
| First stage | |
| Diameter | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Powered by | 7 YF-100K |
| Maximum thrust | Sea level: 8,750 kN (1,970,000 lbf) Vacuum: 9,772 kN (2,197,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | Sea level: 301.6 s (2.958 km/s) Vacuum: 337 s (3.30 km/s) |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX |
| Second stage | |
| Diameter | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Powered by | 2 YF-100M |
| Maximum thrust | 2,920 kN (660,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 352.3 s (3.455 km/s) |
| Propellant | RP-1 / LOX |
| Third stage | |
| Diameter | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Powered by | 3 YF-75E |
| Maximum thrust | 276.3 kN (62,100 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 451.1 s (4.424 km/s) |
| Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
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.
There are also plans for a variant, the Long March 10A, which is designed primarily for future low Earth orbit crew and cargo transport to the Chinese Space Station. It will be partially reusable and capable of lifting at least 14 tonnes into LEO.