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China readies new Long March CZ-8 rocket for maiden launch

  • The new addition is meant to plug a gap in the medium-lift range and eventually become reusable, cutting costs
  • The rocket is in position in Hainan and lift-off is set for noon Sunday

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China plans to launch the CZ-8 on Sunday. Photo: Weibo
Liu Zhenin Beijing
The countdown has begun to the maiden flight of a new Chinese carrier rocket that has the potential to be reusable, cutting launch costs, according to state media reports.

A CZ-8, the latest addition to the Long March range of rockets, has been moved to the launch pad at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the southern island of Hainan in preparation for lift-off at noon on Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday.

The launch of the CZ-8 will wrap up a busy year for China’s space engineers, who have deployed high-profile Mars and moon missions, completed the BeiDou navigation constellation and tested new spaceships, rocket vehicles and space station modules.

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The new rocket is meant to meet the demand for economical, medium-lift, high-frequency commercial missions.

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It will have non-toxic propellants and take about 10 days of preparation to launch, with a capacity of at least 10 launches each year.

A future variant of the CZ-8 – the CZ-8R – will be reusable, putting it on par with the Falcon series made by American aerospace company SpaceX.

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This would cut the cost of each launch and give it an edge in the commercial rocket market.

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