Long March 6 launch to put new engine to the test

China will soon conduct the first flight of the Long March 6 launch vehicle using the country's new-generation rocket engine, according to a senior scientist.

"A launch of the Long March 6 is planned in the middle of the year and it will use the newly developed 120-ton-thrust engine as its main propulsion," said Tan Yonghua, president of the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology and a national lawmaker.

"The Long March 7 and our most powerful rocket, the Long March 5, will make their first flights next year and they will also use the new engine," he said on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress.