China's new crewed launch vehicle, Chang Zheng 10, successfully completed its second tethered ignition test.

According to the WeChat official account "China Manned Space", on September 12, 2025, China successfully carried out the second tethered ignition test of the Long March 10 series launch vehicle at the Wenchang Aerospace Launch Site. All planned tethered ignition tests were completed as scheduled.

At 15:00 in the afternoon, with the ignition command issued by the test command center, the seven engines of the first stage test product ignited simultaneously, completing multiple test procedures according to the scheduled program. The total test duration was 320 seconds, focusing on testing the low-power operation and secondary ignition start-up capability of the seven parallel engines of the rocket's first stage. Complete test data were obtained, and the test was a complete success. As of now, the two planned tethered ignition tests have been fully completed. The performance of the first stage seven-engine propulsion system and the correctness and reliability of the recovery section working procedure design have been comprehensively verified, marking a breakthrough in the preliminary prototype development of the Long March 10 series launch vehicle.

The tethered ignition test of the Long March 10 series launch vehicle follows a step-by-step approach, aiming to verify the performance of the first stage seven-engine parallel engine propulsion system and the verification of recovery and reuse. The purpose is to obtain the real load environment characteristics under the seven-engine parallel operation state and to verify the working procedure of the recovery section, which is an important means to release the risks of the first flight.

Currently, the development work of China's manned lunar exploration project is progressing smoothly. Since mid-June this year, related test work has been conducted in multiple lines and intensively. The Mengzhou crewed spacecraft, Lanyue landing module, and the Long March 10 series launch vehicle have all achieved promising progress successively, and the supporting facilities and equipment construction at the Wenchang Aerospace Launch Site is being steadily advanced. In the future, the Long March 10 series launch vehicle will carry out flight test verification work in succession.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7549129281264255523/

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