China moved closer to a crewed moon mission after engineers conducted a flight test that combined a Max Q escape operation and a booster recovery trial, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp said.
Zhu Pingping, head engineer at the state contractor who took part in the test, said it was the first time in the global space community that a flight test included a Max Q escape operation and booster recovery trial at the same time, and that engineers examined booster performance, malfunction detection, navigation and control, and heat resistance during the flight.
Deng Kaiwen, deputy project manager of the Mengzhou program, said designers used the Max Q moment to check whether the vessel could activate its rocket-powered escape tower and computers under a sophisticated aerodynamic situation, a requirement aimed at returning astronauts safely.
The trial stressed the booster during return, Zhu said, with maximum heat flux and dynamic pressure reaching the highest levels among rocket recovery tests in the country, placing stringent demands on structure, thermal protection and altitude control, the engineers added.
The Long March 10 carrier rocket is in final research and development at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp and was described by its designers as a new vehicle with a core booster and several side boosters, 92.5 meters tall and five meters wide, a liftoff weight of 2,189 metric tons and thrust of 2,678 tons.
Designers said the Long March 10 can transport spacecraft weighing at least 27 tons to an Earth-moon transfer trajectory, and that a shorter variant without side boosters will be 67 meters tall with a liftoff weight of about 740 tons and a 14-ton carrying capacity to the Tiangong space station in low-Earth orbit.
The China Academy of Space Technology is building the Mengzhou spaceship, which designers said is nearly 9 meters long, 4.5 meters in diameter and weighs 22 tons, and will gradually replace the Shenzhou model used in China’s manned flights.
Elon Musk Plans Lunar Factory And Electromagnetic Catapult
According to the New York Times, Elon Musk told employees at xAI that the company needs to construct a factory on the Moon to produce AI satellites and an enormous electromagnetic catapult to launch them into orbit, a concept reported as part of his shift in focus toward lunar work.
The reporting said SpaceX acquired xAI ahead of an anticipated IPO and that Musk argued space‑based AI is "the only way to scale," proposing orbital data centers with access to abundant solar energy and a vast constellation of AI satellites he likened to a "sentient sun."
Musk told an all‑hands meeting, as reported by the New York Times, "You have to go to the Moon," and described the Moon as a stepping stone, saying he wants to build "a self-sustaining city on the Moon" before proceeding to Mars, and he posted a tweet explaining the shift toward a lunar city as potentially achievable faster than Mars.
The coverage also noted Musk has long prioritized Mars and framed lunar ambitions as complementary, rather than abandoning his Mars plans, while portraying the Moon strategy as part of broader plans to expand computing and infrastructure off Earth.
