TIANJIN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Long March-5 rocket, China's largest carrier rocket is scheduled to make its maiden flight later this year and departed northern China's Tianjin Port for the launch base in southern Hainan Friday.

Carried by two special rocket-carrying ships, Yuanwang-21 and Yuanwang-22, the Long March-5 will arrive at Qinglan Port in Wenchang, Hainan Province, after a seven-day journey.

As the country's strongest carrier rocket, the Long March-5 has a payload capacity of 25 tonnes in low Earth orbit and 14 tonnes in geostationary orbit.

The rocket is planned to carry the Chang'e-5 lunar probe in 2017 and will be used to launch China's space station modules and Mars probes.