Space analysts call China's successful test a 'significant milestone' as SpaceX and Blue Origin vie to provide US lunar ...

These advancements in China’s reusable rocket and lunar exploration programs come as NASA prepares to launch a crew of four astronauts on a loop around the far side of the Moon as soon as next month.

Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital vehicle parachutes down to Earth at 11:38 a.m. EDT on Oct. 5 after a successful in-flight escape system safety test. Read our full story and watch the video here.

China has flown the core stage of the Long March 10 rocket for the first time. The demonstration included a Max-Q abort of the Mengzhou Moon Spaceship.