Heavy-lift rocket readied for 2nd mission

A Long March 5-Y2 rocket is seen at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on Monday.[Photo/Xinhua]

It is China's mightiest and most technologically advanced launch vehicle. As China's first-generation heavy-lift rocket, the Long March 5 has a liftoff weight of 870 metric tons, a maximum payload of 25 tons to low-Earth, and a payload of 14 tons to a higher orbit known as geosynchronous transfer orbit.

The rocket has two core stages and four boosters. Its propellants are liquid oxygen with kerosene, and liquid oxygen with liquid hydrogen, which means the rocket is friendlier to the environment than previous Long March types, according to its developer, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

The Long March 5 performed its maiden flight in November at the Wenchang center, lifting the Shijian 17 scientific experiment satellite and a Yuanzheng 2 upper stage. An upper stage is a spacecraft capable of putting multiple payloads into different orbits during a single mission.

The third mission for the Long March 5, set for later this year, will send the Chang'e 5 lunar probe to the moon. The 8.2-ton probe, which consists of four components - orbiter, lander, ascender and re-entry module - will soft-land, using small rockets to slow its descent to the lunar surface. It will collect and bring 2 kilograms of lunar soil and rock samples back to Earth.

In the future, the rocket will place China's manned space station into orbit and send unmanned probes to Mars.