2016 The maiden flight of the
Long March 7 launched from the
Wenchang Space Launch Site on 25 June 2016 at 12:00 UTC, carrying a scaled prototype of
Mengzhou known as the multipurpose spacecraft scale return capsule. The capsule returned successfully, landing in the desert of Mongolia on 26 June 2016 at 07:41 UTC.
2020 with the next-generation crewed spacecraft test vehicle as primary payload.The
Long March 5B test flight on 5 May 2020 at 10:00 UTC from Wenchang carried two payloads: a
Mengzhou prototype as the primary payload and a demonstration flexible inflatable cargo re-entry capsule as a
secondary payload. The
Mengzhou prototype evaluated avionics, orbital performance, heat shielding, parachute deployment, and a cushioned airbag landing system, successfully re-entering on 8 May 2020 at 05:49 UTC in northwestern China. The secondary payload, intended to test a flexible heat shield for cargo return, was scheduled to re-enter on 6 May 2020 but malfunctioned during descent. During its orbital test, the
Mengzhou prototype performed seven orbit-raising maneuvers to reach a final apogee of approximately . The vehicle executed a de-orbit burn at 05:21 UTC, followed by separation of the service and crew modules at 05:33 UTC. Before atmospheric re-entry, the capsule performed a
skip maneuver using
aerodynamic lift to reduce peak heating, a technique suitable for high-speed returns such as from the Moon. It then deployed three parachutes and airbags for a safe landing. CMSA reported that the re-entry velocity exceeded .
2025 On 17 June 2025, CMSA conducted a zero-altitude abort (also known as a
pad abort test) test using a
Mengzhou test article at the
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The test, designed to evaluate crew-safety systems in the event of an emergency on the pad or during the initial stages of a launch, was declared fully successful by CMSA.
2026 On 11 February 2026, CMSA conducted an in-flight abort test during the maximum dynamic pressure (
max q) phase of a
Long March 10 (CZ-10) launch at Launch Complex 301 of the Wenchang Space Launch Site. The test involved a
Mengzhou test article and a CZ-10 first-stage test article. The CZ-10 launch-abort system successfully propelled
Mengzhou away from the rocket approximately 65 seconds into flight, at an altitude of about and a pressure of . Both test articles landed safely at sea, with the crew module descending by parachute and the first stage using a controlled, rocket-assisted splashdown. == Mission summary ==