China tests the propulsion system to be used on a new type of carrier rocket

China conducted on Friday afternoon a key test on the propulsion system to be used on a new type of carrier rocket, which will be crucial to realizing China's ambitious plan to send astronauts to the Moon.

During the ignition test that took place around 3 pm at the Wenchang Space Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Hainan province, seven powerful engines, which were packed inside a prototype first stage of the Long March 10 rocket, were ignited and kept spitting blaze for a certain period of time, completing several tests and generating a lot of data, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The agency said in a statement that the engines generated a massive combined thrust of nearly 1,000 metric tons during the event, setting a new domestic record for the most powerful engine ignition test.

According to designers from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the Long March 10 is a brand-new type of launch vehicle and will be tasked with launching the country's new-generation crewed spacecraft and the lunar landing module. The rocket is expected to be ready for its maiden flight around 2027.

The Moon-mission rocket will consist of a core booster and several side boosters and will be 92.5 meters tall, which is roughly the height of a 32-story residential building, and five meters wide. The gigantic vehicle will have a liftoff weight of 2,189 metric tons and a thrust of 2,678 tons.

It will be capable of transporting spacecraft weighing at least 27 tons to an Earth-Moon transfer trajectory, according to designers.

The rocket will also have a variant that will not have side boosters. The variant will be 67 meters tall and will have a liftoff weight of about 740 tons. It will be used to transport astronauts or cargo with a combined weight of 14 tons to the Tiangong space station in low-Earth orbit, according to designers.