back to article Look out, SpaceX et al – China's Long March-5 rocket blasts off

China has successfully launched its first Long March-5 rocket, a heavy lifter that is going to be pivotal to the Middle Kingdom's ambitions for a space industry of its own. The rocket lifted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province at 2043 local time, Thursday, and delivered its payload into …

  1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

    Ambitious China is Ambitious!

    ...but there is bound to be a few failures.

    1. Tom Paine
      Mushroom

      Re: Ambitious China is Ambitious!

      There are a lot of lessons to learn when developing the ability to throw a few tons of mass into orbit. One is "you need a range safety officer with flight abort authority".

      Https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfMbGPf4r9g

    2. Steve Knox

      Re: Ambitious China is Ambitious!

      ...but there (are) bound to be a few failures glorious fully intentional tests of emergency response procedures.

      FTFY.

  2. W Donelson

    Saturn V = 118 tonnes payload

    Still trying to catch up to the 1960s!

  3. Stunxtango

    China first to orbit the Moon, in 1/2 a Century ?

    What do we notice this month, Long March 5 launch of up to 25 tons to orbit, Shenzou 11 visits Tiangong 2 space lab, for a month, finishing touches being put on space tug freighter, to be launched on a Long March 7, with 12 tons to orbit capacity, in readiness for it's mission to Tiangong 2. Tiangong 3 Core Module, of the Chinese long term space station, being readied for it's launch, in 2018 aboard the Long March 5, Orion US deep space capsule, according to some, flight delayed till 2023. China progressing on its 6 crew capsule, Long March 9, with 100 ton payload scheduled for 2030, the Chinese already having tested an engine with enough thrust for LM9, of course you don't need an Apollo scale launcher, to orbit the Moon.

    Remember the panic, that the Russians, could orbit the Moon, before the US, leading to Apollo 8, their Progress launcher could have done it, if the Chinese were to launch 2 LM 5's, they've shown they can rapidly dual launch, with 2 launchers, on seperate launch pads. Then, they wouldn't even need to dock at the long term space station. With the crewed section, to wait for the trans lunar orbit insertion section and dock with it on orbit, remember they don't have the weight, of the lander to haul, so it's possible, that the first humans to orbit the Moon, in more than half a century, could be Chinese.

  4. Kharkov
    Pirate

    Impressive but...

    First of all, kudos China!

    Yes, they got their bird away with no problems so well done, China.

    But... hasn't the game changed a bit? Today, it's not about infrequent, very expensive launches any more. With SpaceX making history, it's becoming all about reuse & rapid turnaround and, much as China's space program deserves praise for its hard work, there's no sign that they've moved with the (SpaceX) times.

    1. bon_the_one

      Re: Impressive but...

      Give them time, they've not hacked SpaceX yet to nick the designs...

    2. Mikel

      Re: Impressive but...

      SpaceX hasn't reflown a rocket yet. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

    3. MyffyW Silver badge

      Re: Impressive but...

      For a good solid insertion you can't beat a strap-on.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Slight correction

    Whilst the boosters burn kerosene and oxygen, the core is fuelled by liquid hydrogen and oxygen, so the Chinese have clearly got the grasp of cryogenic fuels - something the Russians took until the Energia to solve.

  6. Long John Brass

    I wonder what they call thier MechJeb

    And if that thing is Onion staged :)

  7. phuzz Silver badge

    Any word on what the payload is?

    1. cray74

      Any word on what the payload is?

      Shijian 17, an electric propulsion demonstrator and its "Yuanzheng space tug." (I think that's a third stage but the Chinese don't count it as part of the launcher. So, "space tug.")

  8. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge
    Pint

    Well done to those engineers!

    I'll raise a pint to this success. I have always loved space exploration, as I grew up in the Apollo era. After that programme ended, some of the excitement went out of it (although the Shuttle brought back some of that). The current competitive climate in space flight is great. May the best engineering team win

  9. HamsterNet

    F the rocket

    The rocket is just bog standard old hat tech, sod that.

    Hidden and not really stated in the reports are Electric propulsion device that's on board. The Chinese are going to test an EM drive in space.

    Since even NASA thinks this works, getting EM drives in space working means you can go anywhere, quickly. At 1G acceleration the moon is less than 2 hours away. Electricity isn't a problem in space, making thrust for long periods is.

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      Re: F the rocket

      How does it work? Is it an ion drive? Does it push against the solar wind? Or is the "EM drive" that "NASA is testing"? (In which case, failure awaits at 99.999% likelihood)

      > At 1G acceleration the moon is less than 2 hours away.

      You ain't gonna get 1G acceleration for 2h no matter what.

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