China has made history with the successful launch of the world’s first methane-liquid oxygen space rocket by private Chinese company LandSpace. The Zhuque-2 carrier rocket blasted off at 9am local time (01:00 GMT) on Wednesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The launch was the second attempt by the Beijing-based company, and its success puts China ahead of rivals in the race to develop space vehicles fuelled by methane. The launch comes on the same day that China Manned Space Agency announced plans to send astronauts to the moon by 2030.

Chinese private aerospace company, LandSpace, has successfully lunched its Zhuque-2 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. It's the world's first large rocket powered by methane & liquid oxygen to achieve the delivery of a payload into a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). pic.twitter.com/I2LSngH5hJ

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Zhang Hailian, deputy chief engineer at the China Manned Space, said at a summit in the central Chinese city of Wuhan that two rockets are planned to transport the spacecraft and astronauts.

One of the rockets will carry the spacecraft that will land on the moon’s surface, while the other will transport the astronauts. The twin-rocket plan would be the first to overcome China’s longstanding technological hurdle of developing a heavy-duty rocket powerful enough to send both astronauts and a moon lander probe into space.

After Chinese astronauts have completed their scientific tasks and collected samples from the moon, the lander will transport the astronauts back to the orbiting spacecraft, from which they will then return to Earth. LandSpace’s methane-liquid oxygen rocket is thought to be less polluting, safer, cheaper and a suitable propellant for a reusable rocket.

China has conducted the orbital launch of world's first Methane-Liquid Oxygen rocket Zhuque-2 Y2 at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region. This launch has put Chinese private firm ahead of space giants like SpaceX and Blue Origin. pic.twitter.com/AVW9Gi5y7n

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The Chinese company is only the second private Chinese company to ever launch a liquid-propellent rocket. In April, Beijing Tianbing Technology successfully launched a kerosene-oxygen rocket, taking another step towards developing rockets that can be refuelled and reused.

The move comes as Chinese commercial space firms have rushed into the sector since 2014, when the government allowed private investment in the industry. LandSpace was one of the earliest and best-funded entrants.

The successful launch of the Zhuque-2 rocket is a landmark moment for China, and puts them ahead of US rivals in the race to develop the next generation of space vehicles.

With China now one step closer to achieving their goal of sending astronauts to the moon by 2030, the country is on track to make history yet again.