China has successfully completed a crucial safety test and fired off a new-generation rocket as part of the country’s preparations for a crewed mission to the moon.
Wednesday’s escape test on board the Mengzhou crew carrier was designed to ensure that astronauts could be safely returned to Earth if something went wrong during the launch.
The Chinese space programme had already carried out a ground-level safety test in June, but the latest test was designed to check that crew members would be…