China‬'s new generation of rocket already in assembly

Later this year, the China-developed Long March-5 rocket will be launched for the first time. It has the largest diameter and maximum carrying capacity among China's entire rocket family. Its capability is close to that of mainstream rockets in the United States and Russia.

The assembly of the new generation of Long March-5 rockets is underway in Tianjin. The new generation’s successful launch will significantly enhance China's independent ability to access space, since the rocket was designed to be used in several of the country's upcoming space exploration projects. These projects include the establishment of a manned space station, the country's next lunar probe mission Chang'e-5, and future Mars exploration.

With a maximum payload capacity of 25,000 kilograms for low Earth Orbit and 14,000 kilograms for geostationary transfer orbit, the carrying capacity of Long March-5 is 2.5 times greater than that of the previous generation.

Read full story: http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/0426/c90000-9049821.html