China is preparing for a new launch

Science: China completed launch rehearsals for a new, improved rocket this month. Teams at the new commercial spaceport in Hainan initially tested the Long March 8A rocket, including launch pad integration and fueling. The new vehicle launch is scheduled to fly for the first time around December. The rocket’s developer, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), says the rocket is a modified version of the Long March 8. According to CALT, it has increased payload and improved mission adaptability and will provide critical support for the deployment of large-scale satellite constellations.

The Long March 8A is an expendable rocket capable of carrying up to 7.7 tons (7,000 kg) of payload to a 435-mile (700 km) sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). A standard Long March 8, which has launched four times since 2020, can carry up to 4.5 tons of cargo to the same orbit. Both rockets use engines for the core stage and side boosters that burn liquid kerosene and liquid oxygen. The new Long March 8A achieves more lift thanks to an improved second stage engine powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The 8A also has a larger 17-foot (5.2 m) diameter payload fairing, allowing it to carry more mass and therefore more satellites into orbit.