As the world's third space superpower, China is accelerating its deep-space ambitions with the official greenlight for the Long March 9 super heavy-lift rocket.
China's space program has achieved remarkable milestones in recent years. Two years ago, it made history by landing an active rover on the Moon's far side—a global first. More recently, the nation returned the first lunar samples to Earth in four decades. China is also gearing up for a historic Mars landing via its Tianwen-1 mission, while preparing to launch its own space station to succeed the ISS.
These accomplishments are just the beginning. Like NASA and SpaceX, China eyes human exploration of the Moon and Mars. Three years ago, the China National Space Administration unveiled the Long March 9 (CZ-9) super heavy launcher. This week, officials formally approved its development.
Earlier speculation arose when China prioritized a new launcher with three five-meter-diameter cores, akin to United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy and SpaceX's Falcon Heavy. Now, both projects will advance in parallel.
The Long March 9 promises to loft around 130 tons to low Earth orbit and 50 tons to lunar orbit. Towering with a 10-meter-diameter core and five-meter side boosters, it will incorporate reusability features for efficiency.
In a CCTV interview excerpt, China National Space Administration Deputy Director Wu Yanhua emphasized the rocket's role in enabling "crewed Moon or Mars landing missions." Officials project a debut flight in the early 2030s.
This timeline aligns with NASA's SLS rocket, which began development a decade ago and offers 70-85 tons of lift capacity in its initial version—initially slated for 2022.
