Historic Rocket Test Closes The Gap In China’s Race With The West

China has gotten one step closer to a manned mission to the Moon. China Global Television Network, a People’s Republic of China-run news agency, reported that the Long March-10 rocket and Mengzhou spacecraft successfully launched on Wednesday of this week.

The Long March-10 rocket stands out as, like the Falcon 9 rockets used by SpaceX, the booster stage is reusable. After the test, it splashed down in the ocean. Additionally, it was the first launch from a new launchpad. China plans to have a manned mission to the Moon as early as 2030.

Ars Technica notes that the Long March-10 uses YF-100 designated engines powered by a liquid oxygen and kerosene. For comparison, the Falcon 9 rocket by SpaceX burns the same fuel from its Merlin engines.

The Space Race, especially with the goal of going to the Moon, has died down in recent years, but it looks like Beijing is starting it up again.

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To infinity and beyond (or at least the Moon)

Over at NASA, a crew of four astronauts plans to go around the Moon during the Artemis II mission. That trip is supposed to take place soon “no earlier than March 2026” according to NASA. The Artemis II mission will use the SLS (Space Launch System) for the mission.

The big trip to the Moon, however, will be dubbed the Artemis III mission. It’s supposed to take place in 2028, a full two years before China’s lunar goals.

December of 1972 marked the last time anyone was on the Moon. The Apollo 17 crew of Eugene A. Cernan, Harrison H. Schmitt, and Ronald E. Evans were the last human beings ever to step foot on the Moon.

Hopefully, before the 2030s, Chinese or American, there will be a another crewed mission. If the recent rocket tests and scheduled missions are any indication of people’s intense desire to explore space and see what scientific discoveries await humanity on the Moon.

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Read the original article on SlashGear.