Where does the new Chinese missile fly?

According to Chinese media, the government in the near future may decide to start manufacturing research, potentially bringing up Earth's low orbit of more than 140 tons of cargo.

Some articles called LM-9 a challenge for Elon Musk. Is it possible, and how will China use this new rocket? Russian military expert Vasily Kashin told Sputnik.

First of all, it should be noted that the development of new missiles for long-term prospects. According to designers, this may take another 10 years. In fact, such complicated technical projects are generally difficult to predict. In addition, the implementation of the project requires that, in addition to the development of rockets, there must be construction of infrastructure on the ground. That means increasing the cost and considerable work for the technical team.

The development of new missiles for long-term prospects.

It will therefore be reasonable if the main work of this project will be started after mass production and resolving the outstanding problems of the "Truong Chinh-5" missile program . The success of the manned spacecraft program and the construction and operation of the Orbital Station also facilitate the new missile project.

The competition between LM-9 and Elon Musk's "Falcon-9" heavy rocket has hardly been set. As the electronic devices shrink and the spacecraft's mass decreases, the commercial demand for these heavy missiles will be minimal. They are only needed for non-commercial projects involving space exploration and therefore cannot be considered competitive.

China has a long-term plan for manned moon-based flights or Mars exploration and development projects, which can be done in the 2030s. Assume that LM-9 will be able to transport about 50 tons of goods to the moon's orbit, this will help to fulfill the mission smoothly.

Ukrainian Commercial Bank «Yuzhnoye» signed a contract with the Chinese side in 2017 on the transfer of Soviet technology to the Moon L-3 probe spacecraft and the launch vehicle. This may indicate the seriousness of China's intention to develop the Moon program. Compared to the American Appollo, the former Soviet L-3 was much smaller and allowed only a astronaut to land on the moon. Perhaps they will not copy the design of the Soviet Union, but will be the starting point for making a larger and more complete Chinese ship. According to previous statements by Chinese industry representatives, their spacecraft flew to the moon will have four seats.

Another direction in using this rocket was previously mentioned as the launch of an automatic exploration station to Mars and return to Earth with the rock sample from there. Perhaps, LM-9 should be considered a long-term "prestigious" project, not directly related to the needs of China's economy and defense. Perhaps this missile project will become the "jewel" in the Chinese space program, after China's manned spacecraft project has finally reached the level of development of the US, Russia, and The next new developments will become familiar and do not cause any surprises in the world.