China has started assembly of its latest Long March 5 heavy lift rocket, which is expected to be one of the country's major launch vehicles for its planned space missions.
According to Long March 5's vice chief engineer Yang Hujun, assembly of the rocket is expected to be completed by the middle of the year. Yang added that testing the rocket will be conducted within a month, with the first launch set to be held later this year, CRI reported.
The 60-meter-long, 800-ton Long March 5 has a payload capacity of 25 tons for Low-Earth Orbit deliveries and 14 tons in Geostationary Transfer Orbit. It will also come in six different variant models, each serving a different role: for manned missions, and future lunar and Mars explorations.
The rocket is also reportedly designed to use a non-toxic and pollutant-free propellant to reduce its environmental impact.
Among the missions lined up for the Long March 5 is the launch of the Chang'e-5 lunar probe by the end of 2017. The probe will collect moon soil samples for analysis.
China also plans to use the Long March 5 to deliver the Tianhe-1 module to orbit in 2018. The Tianhe-1 will serve as the core module for the country's planned first modular space station. Two space laboratory modules are set to be launched later to dock with the core module, GB Times reported.
Aside from the Long March 5, the country also plans to field the Long March 7 rocket this year. The medium-range rocket will be able to carry 13.5 tons of payload to Low-Earth Orbit.
Around 150 launches are slated for the Long March line of rockets until 2020.
China unveiled the new set of space projects during its first national Space Day on April 24. The date marks the country's first foray into space with the launch of its first satellite, the DongFanghong-1, in 1970.