Spaceflight

China has taken another step toward its crewed lunar goals by successfully testing fairing separation for its Long March 10 moon rocket series.

The fairing separation test was conducted recently, according to a Nov. 20 statement from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). CALT is a major rocket developer under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the country’s main space contractor.

A short clip of the separation test shows the 5.0-meter-diameter, 5.0-meter-high fairing—which is designed to protect spacecraft from the atmosphere during ascent—falling away to reveal a structural test article.

The fairing is not in a conical, nose cone-like shape, as with typical fairing for spacecraft. This is due to the Long March 10 series being designed to launch a new generation crew spacecraft. This will include an escape tower and the return module may be exposed at the tip of the launcher. The fairing is thus similar in shape to that used for the Orion spacecraft. CALT plans static and joint vibration tests in the future.