China Prepares to Launch Its Most Powerful Rocket to the Moon

China is preparing the most powerful heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket in the history of its space program for another critical mission. According to Ixbt.com, this launch, aimed at studying Earth’s natural satellite, is being hailed as one of the most significant space events of 2026. Ixbt.com reports this.

The next launch from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on Hainan Island is scheduled for August 24. Specialists are currently completing final preparations to transport the launch vehicle to the launch pad and are testing all systems.

Project Details and Technical Capabilities

As part of this mission, the Long March 5 Y14 rocket will carry the Changʼe-7 automated station toward the Moon. The spacecraft was delivered to the spaceport on July 13 this year, and specialists have since been assembling and testing it together with the rocket.

The Changʼe-7 project is one of the key steps in the fourth phase of China’s lunar program and is designed to study the Moon’s south pole in detail. This research will be important for future space exploration efforts.

The Long March 5 is China’s most powerful operational launch vehicle. Its core stage has a diameter of 5 meters and is equipped with four solid rocket boosters. The rocket stands nearly 57 meters tall and has a liftoff mass of up to 850 tons.

Spaceport Capabilities and Future Prospects

Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site is China’s only coastal space complex and specializes mainly in launching Long March 5 and Long March 7 rockets. August has been an especially busy month for the complex: several successful launches were conducted at the beginning of the month.

It is worth recalling that Long March rockets served as the primary means of constructing China’s orbital space station. These rockets launched the Tianhe core module, as well as the Wentian and Mengtian experiment modules, into orbit. They were also used to successfully carry out major projects such as returning lunar soil to Earth with Changʼe-5 and the Tianwen-1 Mars mission.