China is continuing to develop its Long March rocket series. The next one up is the Long March 5, which could be test flown in 2014. It is the most powerful yet, capable of putting 25 tons in low Earth orbit or 14 tons in geosynchronous orbit, and Long March 6 and 7 are also under development.
The Long March 5 will give China the capability to put a space station in orbit by 2020, which is the country's stated goal for its manned program. The rocket could also launch a manned lunar mission, for whatever that's worth. Outside experts disagree on whether China is actively pursuing putting a taikonaut on the Moon any time soon, but it seems to be developing the hardware and the flight capability to attempt such a mission if it so chooses.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment