A new engine system designed for China's future lunar missions passed its ground test on Friday, paving the way for the country's ambition to set up a research base on the moon by 2030.

The system, composed of three YF-100K engines, will be installed on the first stage of the Long March-10, a three-and-a-half-stage rocket designed to carry over 27 tonnes of payload to the Earth-to-moon transfer orbit.

The capacity is significantly higher than that of the Long March-5 currently used for lunar missions, which carried over 8 tonnes of payload to the moon during the ongoing Chang'e-6 mission.

A report from China Media Group (CMG) said the test was the largest-scale engine test ever conducted for a Chinese rocket under development.

During the test, the engines generated a ground thrust of 382 tonnes, a remarkable 1.6 times greater than the previous largest-scale test.

The Long March-10 is designed to stand at an impressive 92.5 meters tall and will weigh approximately 2,189 tonnes at liftoff. It boasts a powerful thrust of 2,678 tonnes to bring a heavier payload to the moon.

The next step in the development of the Long March-10 is a second ground test of the first-stage propulsion system, which is scheduled to take place soon.