The China National Space Administration (CNSA) reported a successful test of the emergency rescue system of the new-generation Mengzhou spacecraft from zero altitude.
The crew capsule was lifted by the emergency rescue system from the launch pad to an altitude of several kilometers, where the system separated, followed by the opening of the brake and main parachutes and a subsequent successful landing. The flight lasted approximately 2 minutes.
This is the first time CNSA has tested an emergency rescue system since 1998, when a similar system on the Shenzhou manned spacecraft, which has already made 15 space flights, including delivering a crew to the Chinese Tiangong space station, underwent similar tests.
Mengzhou, formally known as the Next-Generation Crewed Spacecraft, is the successor to the Shenzhou, which has been undergoing testing since 2020. It is this ship that is supposed to deliver Chinese taikonauts to lunar orbit. The first manned flights of Mengzhou are planned for 2027–2028.