China has actually rolled out a rocket to the pad to send out three astronauts from the desert up to its new Tianhe area station core module, although the launch date remains a mystery.A 203-feet-high (62 meters) Long March 2F rocket was vertically moved to the pad at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert early on Thursday (Oct. 7). Visible at the top of the payload fairing is an escape launch system that can rapidly carry the spacecraft away from the rocket in case of an emergency early in the flight.Related: The latest news about Chinas space programThe Long March 2F to introduce Shenzhou 13 crew spacecraft being vertically transferred to the pad at Jiuquan, Oc. It would have been able to release at brief notification in the case of an emergency in orbit.The Long March 2F to launch Shenzhou 13 team spacecraft being vertically moved to the pad at Jiuquan, Oc. (Image credit: CMSA)” The advantage of vertical transfer lies in that the rocket and spacecraft might retain their technical status after testing in the technical area, hence minimizing state shift while conserving the test preparation time to the launch area,” Liu Feng, deputy chief designer of the Long March 2F Rocket, told CCTV.China space watchers likewise saw in press release photos released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) that the next Long March 2F, for Shenzhou 14, had been assembled in the vertical combination structure at Jiuquan, implying it will be on standby in the case of emergencies.The Long March 2F to launch Shenzhou 13 crew spacecraft being vertically transferred to the pad at Jiuquan, Oc.
Visible at the top of the payload fairing is an escape launch system that can rapidly bring the spacecraft away from the rocket in case of an emergency situation early in the flight.Related: The most current news about Chinas space programThe Long March 2F to introduce Shenzhou 13 team spacecraft being vertically transferred to the pad at Jiuquan, Oc. It would have been able to release at brief notice in the case of an emergency in orbit.The Long March 2F to introduce Shenzhou 13 crew spacecraft being vertically transferred to the pad at Jiuquan, Oc. (Image credit: CMSA)” The benefit of vertical transfer lies in that the rocket and spacecraft could retain their technical status after screening in the technical area, therefore minimizing state transition while conserving the test preparation time to the launch location,” Liu Feng, deputy chief designer of the Long March 2F Rocket, told CCTV.China space watchers also noticed in press release images released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) that the next Long March 2F, for Shenzhou 14, had actually been assembled in the vertical combination structure at Jiuquan, indicating it will be on standby in the case of emergencies.The Long March 2F to launch Shenzhou 13 team spacecraft being vertically moved to the pad at Jiuquan, Oc.