A Long March-7 carrier rocket has arrived at the launch site in the city of Wenchang of south China's Hainan province.

Long March-7 carrier rocket at the launch site in city of Wenchang, Hainan Province, Tuesday, January 27, 2015. [Photo: Sina.com.cn]

Scientists will run a series of tests on the rocket in preparing for its maiden flight scheduled for 2016.

The liquid-fuelled carrier rocket is designed to launch China's first cargo spacecraft, which is currently under development.

The unmanned cargo spacecraft will carry supplies to and refuel China's future manned space station.

The Long March-2 and Long-March 3 are scheduled to retire within the next 10 years. The new generation, Long-March 7 is expected to take over 80 percent of the launch missions in the future.

So far, four Long March-7 rockets have been made.

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