Recently, China successfully organized and conducted the second tethered ignition test of the Long March 10 series of carrier rockets at the Wenchang Space Launch Center, completing all scheduled tethered ignition tests as planned. The so-called “tethered test” involves firmly securing the test rocket body on a test platform for ignition testing, tethering it to prevent it from flying away.
On the day of the test, with the ignition command issued by the command center, seven engines of the rocket’s first-stage test product ignited simultaneously, completing multiple test procedures according to the predetermined program. The total test duration was 320 seconds, focusing on assessing the low-condition operation and secondary ignition start-up capabilities of the seven parallel engines of the rocket’s first stage. Complete test data was obtained, and the test achieved complete success.
Currently, China has initiated the lunar landing phase of its manned lunar exploration program, aiming to achieve the first Chinese lunar landing by 2030. The Long March 10 series of carrier rockets, including the Long March 10 and Long March 10A configurations, is a new generation of manned carrier rockets developed for China’s manned lunar exploration mission. The Long March 10 will be responsible for launching the Mengzhou Y manned spacecraft and the Lanyue lunar lander during the manned lunar landing mission. The Long March 10A will be tasked with launching the Mengzhou manned spacecraft and the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft in the space station application and development project.
Why conduct a tethered ignition test?
According to experts from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, tether ignition is a short-term test run of the propulsion system, which is an essential part of the rocket development process.
The captive ignition test of the Long March 10 series of carrier rockets is implemented step by step following a gradual and progressive approach, focusing on verifying the performance of the parallel engine power system with seven engines at the first stage, as well as the recovery and reuse of the system. The aim is to obtain the true load environmental characteristics under the working condition of the parallel operation of seven engines at the first stage, and to verify the working procedures of the recovery section. This is an important means to mitigate the risks associated with the maiden flight.
On the afternoon of August 15th, China successfully conducted the first captive ignition test of the Long March 10 series of carrier rockets at the Wenchang Space Launch Center.
