China will also develop the reusable Long March 10C methane and oxygen space rocket

In the past, we reported news related to the development of various space rockets by China (both through state-owned companies and private firms). A particular importance is tied to the Long March 10 family. This family of launch vehicles will consist of several models that will also be employed for crewed lunar program missions, with Chinese astronauts potentially reaching the natural satellite in 2029 (or no later than 2030). The latest development concerns the reusable Long March 10C space rocket.

This vehicle, also known as Chang Zheng 10C, CZ-10C, or Long March 10C, is the latest model and one of the most interesting as it will be equipped with engines that will use methane and liquid oxygen for both the first and second stages. CALT is developing it on behalf of CASC, and its debut will come after the variants CZ-10A and CZ-10B and probably also after CZ-10.

The New Chinese Space Rocket Long March 10C

The technical specifications of the Long March 10C rocket report a height of 91 meters with a diameter of 5 meters. At the base of the first stage, there will be 9 YF-219 engines (or a derived version) with a launch thrust of 1260 tons while the total mass will be 940 tons. Like other reusable CZ-10 vehicles, this one will not have landing supports but will instead use "hooks" that will rest on cables of a Ling Hangzhe droneship (already in testing).

A representative diagram of the Long March 10 family (source)

Long March 10C will be launched from the Wenchang Commercial Launch Site, like other similar vehicles. This launch site is undergoing significant expansion and will feature several pads for different types of launchers. Missions to the Moon that will employ a non-reusable variant of the CZ-10 will also depart from here.

In general, we recall that the CZ-10 version will have three stages and three boosters and is designed for crewed lunar missions (Mengzhou and lander Lanyue) as well as a cargo variant. This vehicle will be about 92 meters tall and will be powered by 21 engines, capable of carrying up to 27 tons of payload into lunar orbit.

Ling Hangzhe recovery barge with human for scale. via Douyin / RT火箭小镇

There will then be CZ-10A (which has already performed tests). A 2-stage version (without side boosters) dedicated to payloads in low Earth orbit (LEO). Its launch capacity will be about 14 tons with the reusable first stage and will use 7 YF-100K engines with RP-1 and liquid oxygen.

Finally, there will be the CZ-10B version, a commercial variant of the CZ-10A that uses a second stage with liquid methane and oxygen, increasing the launch capacity to 16 tons in LEO (reusing the first stage). The inaugural flight is scheduled for 2026. Initially, a launch was expected for April, but due to some unspecified delays, the launch window will now open on July 10.