China launches next-generation space capsule on Long March 5B rocket test flight

[Ray Allan]

China's space agency completed a vital test launch today (May 5) when the first launch of its heavy-lift Long March 5B rocket went off without a hitch.

The Long March 5B rocket is a cornerstone of China's space exploration plans. The same vehicle will carry the country's Mars mission, dubbed Tianwen, that is scheduled for launch this summer. And the heavy-lift rocket is also necessary for launching modules of the new space station China plans to build. And then, there's the crew capsule.

Today's flight is an uncrewed test mission for that vehicle, with China particularly eager for data on the performance of its heat shield and parachutes, among other aspects of the unnamed capsule, according to SpaceNews. The capsule should be able to carry six or seven astronauts at a time, according to a statement from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, a state-owned contractor for the space agency.

https://www.space.com/china-long-mar...h-success.html

[Sartt]

i wonder how long this will go before they abandon it, and it comes crashing down.

[Ray Allan]

Originally Posted by Sartt

i wonder how long this will go before they abandon it, and it comes crashing down.

It made a three-day flight and returned to Earth. You might be thinking of the Chinese experimental space lab Tiangong, which did make an uncontrolled re-entry. Of course the same thing happened with the u.s. Skylab in the 1970s where pieces of it fell on Australia. Space junk in low Earth orbit is becoming a real problem.

[Sartt]

hmm valid point