SpaceNews: China will launch a rocket in 2026 to send taikonauts to the moon
China in 2026 has planned to launch the first rocket that can be used to send taikonauts to the moon by 2030, SpaceNews reports .
It is noted that the new carrier will receive engines running on kerosene and liquid oxygen. The publication writes that China hopes for relatively rapid progress in the development of the rocket.
According to SpaceNews, the new rocket will be based on the technologies of the Long March 5 heavy carrier and will allow China to reach the Moon faster than the Long March 9 superheavy rocket being created. It is expected that the new carrier will be able to deliver up to 27 tons into lunar orbit. Its height will reach 90 meters. The rocket will receive the YF-100K engine, an upgraded version of the YF-100 from Long March 5.
In May 2019, Vladislav Palamarchuk, the master of the foundry of the Energomash Scientific and Production Association, announced that the company would resume production of the RD-120 rocket engine.
In May of the same year, it was reported that China plans to launch its first rocket with a reusable first stage in 2020, the engines of which (YF-100 derivatives) are based on RD-120, the technology of which Beijing received from Kiev.