Long March 10
China's heavy-lift rocket for crewed lunar missions, generating 2,678 tonnes thrust.
Last refreshed: 2 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How does China's Moon rocket compare to NASA's SLS?
Latest on Long March 10
- How powerful is China's Long March 10?
- Long March 10 generates 2,678 tonnes of thrust, compared with 3,992 tonnes for NASA's SLS. It is designed for a two-launch lunar architecture, so lower thrust is sufficient.Source: background
- How does Long March 10 compare to SLS?
- SLS generates more thrust (3,992 vs 2,678 tonnes) but was adapted from Constellation programme hardware. Long March 10 is purpose-built for lunar missions and uses a two-launch architecture.Source: background
- When will Long March 10 first fly?
- No confirmed debut date has been published. It is expected to fly its first test before Mengzhou's 2026 robotic flight.Source: background
- What fuel does Long March 10 use?
- Long March 10 Burns kerosene and liquid oxygen, unlike SLS which uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.Source: quick_facts
Background
Long March 10 generates 2,678 tonnes of thrust, compared with 3,992 tonnes for NASA's SLS. It is purpose-built for China's two-launch crewed lunar architecture, carrying either Mengzhou or Lanyue on separate launches that rendezvous in lunar orbit. RAND cited its development progress as evidence that China's 2030 landing goal is credible.
Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), Long March 10 stands approximately 92.5 metres tall and Burns kerosene and liquid oxygen. Unlike SLS, which was adapted from the cancelled Constellation programme and inherited constraints from Space Shuttle hardware, Long March 10 was designed from the outset for lunar payload requirements.
The lower thrust relative to SLS is by design: the two-launch architecture requires each rocket to lift only one spacecraft, not the combined mass of capsule and lander together. This gives the Chinese architecture structural coherence that the single-launch SLS approach has struggled to achieve within its cost and schedule constraints.