A  senior space official of China has officially approved the hypothesis claiming that their nation is carrying on trials on its largest and most powerful rocket the Long March 5, in Hainan province. Construction and development of the Long March 5 are contrived by China for its space operations which are speculated to be launched before the end of next year, i.e., 2016.

Revealed, China is Officially Launching Largest Space Rocket – Long March 5

Chinese next-generation heavy lift launch system, Long March 5 is currently under development by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). Overseas Chinese space activities monitoring agency  Technology and Industry for National Defence, Deputy head of lunar exploration and space programs at the State Administration of Science, Liu Tongjie said, “Engineers are testing whether the rocket’s various systems can work well with the Wenchang center, and after the tests are done successfully, the Long March 5 will perform its first flight by the end of next year.”

Addressing media in Shenzhen, Guangdong province during the week-long space exhibition by the administration of the largest rocket, Liu Tongjie claimed that The Long March 5 is one of the most advanced rocket that Chinese designers have ever developed so far. Mr. Liu Tongjie also stated that The Long March 5 rocket is designed to carry on various missions of which China scientists have been contriving since decades.

Physical dimensions of the  largest and most powerful Long March 5 rocket are 57 meters in height and 5 meters in diameter. Long March 5 which is also called LM-5, CZ-5, or Changzheng 5, is expected to be during 2016 from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island. It is planned to roughly match the capabilities of United States’ EELV sized vehicles such as the Delta IV Heavy, Atlas V, and Falcon 9. Official sources affirmed that Long March 5 will have a maximum payload capacity of 25 metric tons in low Earth orbit and 14 tons in geosynchronous transfer orbit with a takeoff weight of around 800 metric tons.

Developers of this gigantic aircraft claim it as be more environmentally friendly than previous designs due to the usage of liquid oxygen or kerosene and liquid oxygen or liquid hydrogen as propellants for its engines. Sources add in that China would be using The Long March 5 or LM-5, CZ-5, or Changzheng 5 to launch large lunar probes and the manned space station that into orbit around 2020.

Added to Long March 5 scientists and space researchers are building another smaller Long March 7 which will also whose maiden launch is also set for next year at Wenchang. As per the reports of the administration, it is said that it would replace the Long March 2 and Long March 3 in commercial launch service. According to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, Long March 7 will be tasked with sending China’s cargo spacecraft to the space station.