A Chinese-built rocket that can send a person to the Moon will be completed by 2030, according to authorities at the ongoing China Space Conference in Haikou, South China's Hainan Province.
The diameter of the new-generation manned rocket body will be the same as the Long March 5 launch vehicle, said Long Lehao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a chief designer of Long March rockets.
Through the comprehensive application of mature rocket technology, the new rocket will meet the requirements of China’s manned moon landing mission, Long added.
Long said a heavy-duty launch vehicle is also being researched, with a body diameter of 10.6 meters and height of 110 meters. The carrying capacity to low orbit will be more than 150 tons. The capacity for a trip to the moon is more than 50 tons. This means the rocket will have the greatest carrying capacity ever developed.
(Compiled by Zhu Yingqi)