China aces test of next-gen lunar capsule and rocket in effort to land humans on moon before NASA (video)

China just took another step toward landing astronauts on the moon.

photo showing a rocket landing in the ocean, causing a large plume of water vapor to rise. an inset photo depicts a small conical spacecraft flying through a blue sky — China's Mengzhou crew capsule aced a key abort test on Feb. 10, 2026. The Long March 10 rocket that launched the test successfully steered itself to an ocean splashdown as well. (Image credit: CCTV)

The Long March 10 is a key piece of China's moon plans as well: It's a new heavy lifter that will launch the nation's astronauts to Earth's nearest neighbor. And the rocket aced an important trial of its own on Wednesday.

The Long March 10's first stage is designed to be reusable, like that of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. On Wednesday, the booster guided itself to a powered, vertical splashdown in the ocean after Mengzhou went its separate way.

The Long March 10 is still in development, and Wednesday's flight did not come close to reaching orbit. But the rocket's splashdown success was still a major milestone on the road to recovery and reuse.

Artist's illustration of astronauts on the moon planting a Chinese flag. (Image credit: 3DSculptori/Stock/Getty Images)

China has also made progress recently with its crewed lunar lander, a vehicle named Lanyue. As a result, many space experts give the nation a real chance of winning the crewed race back to the lunar surface.

NASA aims to put boots on the moon in 2028 on the Artemis 3 mission, which will use a modified version of SpaceX's Starship vehicle as its lander. But it's unclear if the mission will be able to meet that timeline.

A lot depends, for example, on the success of Artemis 2, a crewed trip around the moon that could launch as soon as next month. Artemis 2 will employ NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule but will not incorporate Starship.

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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