Long March 5 Y2 blasts off on July 2, 2017. (File photo/Chinanews.com)
(ECNS) -- A Chinese official said on Monday that investigations into the cause of the July 2 failure of the Long March 5 carrier rocket might be concluded at the end of the year, and that the failure would lead to delays in the country's upcoming lunar missions, Science and Technology Daily reported.
Tian Yulong, the secretary general of the China National Space Administration, said at a press conference during the 68th International Astronautical Congress held in Adelaide, Australia, that the failure would affect missions including Chang'e-5, China's first unmanned lunar sample return mission, Chang'e-4, a lunar lander that is expected to be the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the moon, and Tianhe, the core module of China's first space station.
Long March 5 is the largest rocket developed by China to date. Its first launch from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on November 3, 2016, was successful, but the Long March 5-Y2 failed to send the Shijian-18 satellite into orbit after blasting off on July 2.
With investigations into the accident still ongoing, Tian confirmed lunar missions Chang'e-5, originally scheduled for November, and Chang'e-4, for 2018, would both be delayed and the schedules would be updated by the end of the year.
In addition, previous media reports said the final assembly of Tianhe was completed in late 2016. But that launch, originally scheduled for 2018 atop a Long March 5B, would also be postponed, to 2019, Tian said.
