Chinanews, Beijing, Mar. 7 – In the next seven to eight years, China will make a new generation of carrier rockets, Changzheng 5, to launch space station, said Huang Chunping, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee and general director of China’s manned spaceship program.

 

“With this new carrier rocket, the loading capacity of Changzhen series will be raised from 9 to 25 tons, which will be a great technological breakthrough,” Huang said on Tuesday.

 

Formerly a deputy president of the China Institute of Carrier Rocket Technology, Huang said the new carrier rocket would be named Changzheng (Long March) 5 and would be used to launch space station. It would be made ready in seven or eight years.

 

In the second half of this year, China will use Changzhen (Long March) 3A to launch the first moon probe satellite, the Chang'e 1, into space. In 2008, China will launch Shenzhou 7 through Changzheng (Long March) 2F carrier rocket, Huang said.

 

If everything goes well, in other words, if there is sufficient capital for the project and the project can start as scheduled, China will be able to send manned space vehicle into the moon within the next 15 years, he said.