China is planning for its next- generation crew launch vehicle to have a first stage that can be used again.
A larger version of the new rocket would allow China to send crew on lunar and deep space missions.
It will be able to carry a larger spaceship than the one currently used by the China National Space Administration for crewed missions.
The New-Generation Manned Launch Vehicle is currently referred to as the cumbersome placeholder name.
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The latest news about China's space program.
Wang Xiaojun, president of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), the CASC subsidiary developing the rocket, said that the landing phase will feature tethered landing devices. The descending rocket stage will be caught by tightwires instead of using landing legs.
The first launch of the new crew launch vehicle was one of the key tasks outlined in the space white paper released by China.
The expendable Long March 2F rocket is dangerous and expensive to manage, and is used to launch crewed missions in China.
The new rocket will use engines that were developed for China's newer Long March 5, 6, 7 and 8 rockets. The two-stage version will send astronauts to the Chinese space station and the three-stage version will send astronauts to deep space.
The smaller version will be able to carry a new generation crew spaceship on an uncrewed test flight in 2021. When the first stage is done, it can carry 18,000 kilograms.
The larger version will be able to carry more than 30,000 pounds. That means it could launch a heavier version of the new crew vehicle. The Long March rocket could be used for a short-term crewed lunar landing mission, according to the veteran Long March rocket designer.
China does not yet have a re-usable rocket, meaning it has a number of technology breakthrough to make first.
A number of commercial launch companies are working on their own concepts of vertical takeoff, vertical landing rockets, while the Long March 8 first stage is intended to be re-usable.
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