In a significant milestone for China's space program, the country's first vertical high-altitude simulation test bench for liquid rocket engines successfully completed its ground testing on Wednesday, marking its readiness for operation.

This facility, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), is expected to play a crucial role in advancing the development of next-generation engines for the Long March-10 liquid hydrogen rocket, which is expected to carry out China's ambitious manned lunar missions.

The test bench, equipped with cutting-edge capabilities, boasts the ability to simulate high-altitude conditions for liquid engines with remarkable precision. It can replicate a near-vacuum environment below kilopascal level for extended periods of thousands of seconds.

The engineers at the test bench installed digital simulation system to enable real-time system health check, achieving the high reliability required by developing more advanced engines.