China enters heavy rocket race with planned 100-tonne launch vehicle
- Rocket’s payload will make it more powerful than world-leading SpaceX Falcon Heavy with development expected over next five years
- Lunar exploration commander Luan Enjie said it will speed up the country’s space programme including infrastructure building
China is developing a super heavy-lift rocket that will be significantly more powerful than the SpaceX Falcon Heavy and capable of reaching the moon, according to the head of its lunar exploration programme.
In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV, Luan Enjie said feasibility studies for the 100-tonne launch vehicle had been completed and the project was now at the follow-up research stage.
Luan said development was expected to roll out over the next five years. He added the rocket would speed up China’s ambitious space programme and infrastructure development. This includes its first permanent space station by 2022 and a lunar station by 2045. “To put it simply, the 100 tonnes capacity means the vehicle can reach the moon,” he said.
Chinese state media announced in early January that the country was planning more than 40 rocket launches this year – its highest ever total – as it continues to expand its ambitions in space. According to the space agency’s official WeChat account, the planned launches will include the core module for China’s first space station.