BY:SpaceEyeNews.
The China 2026 Long March 10 launch is now framed as an approaching milestone, not a distant aspiration. A recent update attributed to China’s human spaceflight leadership points to 2026 for the first Long March 10 flight and an initial mission featuring Mengzhou, a new crew spacecraft built for lunar operations. At the same time, progress on Lanyue, China’s lunar lander, adds weight to the broader timeline toward a crewed Moon landing before 2030. ISS Tracker reported the 2026 target and outlined the latest hardware status. isstracker.pl+1
China’s language is also changing in meaningful ways. Official reporting says key lunar flight systems have finished major prototype-stage work. That list includes Long March 10, Mengzhou, Lanyue, the Wangyu lunar suit, and a crew lunar rover. In program terms, this often signals the shift from design completion to integrated verification and flight-focused readiness. english.news.cn
China 2026 Long March 10 launch: what’s confirmed
China’s human spaceflight leadership says it aims to conduct the first launch of the Long March 10 rocket and a lunar-capable Mengzhou spacecraft in 2026. ISS Tracker reported this plan based on remarks from a senior program spokesperson, framed alongside China’s stated goal to achieve a crewed lunar landing before 2030. isstracker.pl
China 2026 Long March 10 launch: what’s confirmed
ISS Tracker’s report centers on one clear takeaway: China aims to conduct the first launch of its Long March 10 rocket and a lunar-capable crew spacecraft in 2026, citing remarks from a senior official connected to the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO). isstracker.pl
That same coverage places the announcement in a wider lunar calendar. NASA is preparing Artemis II, a crewed flight around the Moon, with NASA’s official schedule listing the mission as no later than April 2026. NASA+1
Why 2026 signals real mission planning
One subtle indicator of “real scheduling” is administrative, not technical. ISS Tracker notes that upcoming mission logo design competitions may include a Mengzhou-1 emblem alongside routine Tiangong-related missions. That kind of inclusion often appears when a program expects a mission to move through a defined planning pipeline. isstracker.pl
China has not said whether the first Mengzhou mission will carry a crew. The report leaves that open. That uncertainty is normal. Early flights can focus on validating systems and operations in space before progressing to more ambitious steps. isstracker.pl
Long March 10 rocket readiness for the 2026 launch
Long March 10 is the launch backbone for China’s crewed lunar roadmap. ISS Tracker describes two practical roles for the rocket family: an initial configuration used for near-Earth missions and a full configuration built for lunar flights. isstracker.pl
Two configurations for LEO and lunar missions
For early missions, ISS Tracker reports that Mengzhou will likely fly on a two-stage, single-core Long March 10 variant intended for low Earth orbit (LEO) flights. This can support early validation without requiring the full lunar stack on day one. isstracker.pl
For lunar missions, the same report describes a three-stage Long March 10 around 92.5 meters tall. It uses three 5.0-meter-diameter first stages bundled together, each powered by seven YF-100K kerosene/LOX engines with variable thrust. Those details point to a specific design path, not a generic concept. isstracker.pl
What “nears launch” will look like in public signals
As the China 2026 Long March 10 launch window approaches, the clearest readiness signals usually come from repeatable, measurable milestones. Watch for full-duration engine firings, stage-level verification work, and stacked integration campaigns that resemble launch flow. ISS Tracker also lists major rocket-side demonstrations still ahead, including a full first-stage static fire and a low-altitude test of the stage. isstracker.pl
Those steps matter because they reduce uncertainty in the most complex part of any lunar architecture: getting the system to orbit consistently and predictably.
Mengzhou crew spacecraft progress before the 2026 flight
Mengzhou is a centerpiece of China’s new lunar capability. While Shenzhou supports space station operations, Mengzhou is designed with lunar missions in mind. Xinhua reported that “primary preliminary prototyping” has been completed for Mengzhou as part of the wider lunar hardware set. english.news.cn
ISS Tracker adds historical context. China launched a full-size boilerplate version of Mengzhou during a Long March 5B test flight in 2020, placing it into a high-altitude orbit. Boilerplate activity can reduce risk later by giving engineers early data on size, mass behavior, and recovery operations. isstracker.pl
Abort testing and early mission objectives
Safety systems shape confidence. ISS Tracker reports that recent work includes a pad abort test for Mengzhou, which demonstrates the ability to separate the capsule rapidly from the rocket during an off-nominal situation near the pad. isstracker.pl
Even if the first Mengzhou flight is uncrewed, it can still validate crucial items:
- spacecraft thermal behavior across sunlight and shadow
- communications and tracking performance in orbit
- guidance and navigation stability
- reentry profile and recovery operations
Those demonstrations build operational credibility. They also support faster iteration, because engineers can apply flight data to refine hardware and procedures ahead of later missions.
Lanyue lunar lander milestones linked to China’s lunar plan
If Long March 10 and Mengzhou form the transport spine, Lanyue is the surface-capable element. It must manage precise descent, stable touchdown, and reliable ascent planning.
Global Times, citing the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), reported that China’s Lanyue lander completed a comprehensive landing and takeoff verification test at an extraterrestrial landing test site in Huailai County, Hebei Province. globaltimes.cn
What the landing and takeoff test helps verify
A lander’s verification campaign is less about spectacle and more about proving control. This kind of testing can help validate:
- propulsion response across different throttle conditions
- guidance and control behavior during vertical phases
- structural and mechanical interfaces during touchdown and liftoff
- sequencing logic across transitions from descent to landing to ascent prep
Earth tests do not replicate the Moon’s gravity perfectly. Still, they provide a controlled environment for engineers to confirm performance envelopes and identify edge cases. When a program runs comprehensive descent-and-ascent testing, it often signals that the design has matured beyond early mockups and into disciplined system verification. globaltimes.cn+1
After the China 2026 Long March 10 launch: what to watch next
The most useful question is not “Will 2026 happen?” It’s “What must happen before 2026 becomes operational reality?”
ISS Tracker lists several upcoming demonstrations that remain on the roadmap: a full first-stage static fire for Long March 10, a low-altitude test of the stage, integrated testing for the lunar lander, and thermal and maximum dynamic pressure (max-Q) escape tests for Mengzhou. isstracker.pl
The remaining test campaign and integration steps
Xinhua’s Oct. 30, 2025 report also emphasizes the workload and the need to verify new technologies, while reiterating the goal of a crewed lunar landing before 2030. That balance reads as methodical. It signals that the program expects challenges and is building a phased verification path rather than relying on a single all-or-nothing milestone. english.news.cn
A healthy lunar program typically shows three characteristics:
- test cadence that grows steadily
- repeated results, not one-off demonstrations
- public updates that match observable engineering steps
Right now, China is checking those boxes in a way that makes the China 2026 Long March 10 launch feel like a timeline you can track.
How the 2026 window fits the wider Moon calendar
China is not the only program with a meaningful 2026 marker. NASA’s Artemis II schedule page lists the mission as no later than April 2026, and NASA describes Artemis II as a crewed flight around the Moon designed to validate deep-space operations with a crew aboard. NASA+1
Reuters has also reported that NASA targets Artemis II for April 2026, with the possibility of shifting earlier depending on readiness. Reuters
This is not a “race” story by default. It is a convergence story. Multiple programs are entering a period where flight validation will matter more than renderings. That shift benefits the public, because it yields data, timelines, and clearer technical signals.
Key takeaways for SpaceEyeNews readers
- The China 2026 Long March 10 launch has been stated as a concrete target in recent reporting tied to official remarks. isstracker.pl
- Xinhua reports prototype-stage completion across critical lunar hardware, including Long March 10, Mengzhou, and Lanyue. english.news.cn
- Global Times reports Lanyue completed a comprehensive landing and takeoff verification test at a dedicated test site in Hebei. globaltimes.cn
- NASA’s official Artemis II schedule provides a useful 2026 reference point for the wider lunar calendar. NASA+1
Conclusion
The China 2026 Long March 10 launch now reads like a milestone built on layered verification. ISS Tracker reports the 2026 target for a first Long March 10 flight and an initial Mengzhou mission. Xinhua confirms prototype-stage completion for core lunar hardware. Global Times adds a key lander proof point with Lanyue’s landing and takeoff verification test. isstracker.pl+2english.news.cn+2
Major tests still sit ahead, and officials acknowledge the workload. That honesty strengthens the signal. It suggests China is managing risk through disciplined sequencing. If the 2026 steps succeed, the program can move into a higher-tempo phase where each flight teaches lessons, validates systems, and tightens the path toward a crewed lunar landing before 2030. english.news.cn+1
Main sources
- ISS Tracker (Dec. 12, 2025): Long March 10 and Mengzhou 2026 target. isstracker.pl
- Xinhua (Oct. 30, 2025): Prototype completion list and 2030 goal. english.news.cn
- Global Times (Aug. 7, 2025): Lanyue landing/takeoff verification test details. globaltimes.cn
- NASA: Artemis II launch schedule and mission overview. NASA+1
- Reuters (Sept. 23, 2025): Artemis II April 2026 target context. Reuters