Overview

• On June 17, 2025, China’s human spaceflight agency successfully executed a zero-altitude pad abort test of the Mengzhou crew spacecraft at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
• The spacecraft’s return capsule separated from its escape tower, deployed parachutes and used an airbag system to land safely in the designated Gobi Desert test zone.
• Designed with a two-module configuration and variants for low Earth orbit and lunar missions, Mengzhou integrates both abort control and crew safety functions within the capsule.
• This was China’s first crew capsule pad abort trial since 1998 and represents a key milestone toward sending astronauts to the moon by 2030.
• China plans an in-flight escape test at maximum dynamic pressure later in 2025 as it continues development of the Long March 10 rocket and lunar lander.