Long March (rocket family)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Changzheng rockets
Traditional Chinese長征系列運載火箭
Simplified Chinese长征系列运载火箭

The Long March rockets are a family of expendable launch system rockets operated by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Development and design falls under the auspices of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). In English, the rockets are abbreviated as LM- for export and CZ- within China, as "Chang Zheng" (长征) which means Long March in Chinese pinyin. The rockets are named after the Chinese Red Army's 1934–35 Long March, during the Chinese Civil War.

History[]

For a more comprehensive list, see List of Long March launches.

China used the Long March 1 rocket to launch its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1 (lit. "The East is Red 1"), into low Earth orbit on 24 April 1970, becoming the fifth nation to achieve independent launch capability. Early launches had an inconsistent record, focusing on the launching of Chinese satellites. The Long March 1 was quickly replaced by the Long March 2 family of launchers.

  • Long March 1

  • Long March 1 engine

Entry into commercial launch market[]

Long March 3A launch

After the U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed in 1986, a growing commercial backlog gave China the chance to enter the international launch market. In September 1988, U.S. President Ronald Reagan agreed to allow U.S satellites to be launched on Chinese rockets.[1] AsiaSat 1, which had originally been launched by the Space Shuttle and retrieved by another Space Shuttle after a failure, was launched by a Long March 3 in 1990 as the first foreign payload on a Chinese rocket.

However, major setbacks occurred in 1992–1996. The Long March 2E was designed with a defective payload fairing, which collapsed when faced with the rocket's excessive vibration. After just seven launches, the Long March 2E destroyed the Optus B2 and Apstar 2 satellites and damaged AsiaSat 2.[2][3] The Long March 3B also experienced a catastrophic failure in 1996, veering off course shortly after liftoff and crashing into a nearby village. At least 6 people were killed on the ground, and the Intelsat 708 satellite was also destroyed.[4] A Long March 3 also experienced a partial failure in August 1996 during the launch of Chinasat-7.

United States embargo on Chinese launches[]

See also: International Traffic in Arms Regulations § Satellite components

The involvement of United States companies in the Apstar 2 and Intelsat 708 investigations caused great controversy in the United States. In the Cox Report, the United States Congress accused Space Systems/Loral and Hughes Aircraft Company of transferring information that would improve the design of Chinese rockets and ballistic missiles.[5] Although the Long March was allowed to launch its commercial backlog, the United States Department of State has not approved any satellite export licenses to China since 1998. ChinaSat 8, which had been scheduled for launch in April 1999 on a Long March 3B rocket,[6] was placed in storage, sold to the Singapore company ProtoStar, and finally launched on a European rocket Ariane 5 in 2008.[5]

From 2005 to 2012, Long March rockets launched ITAR-free satellites made by the European company Thales Alenia Space.[7] However, Thales Alenia was forced to discontinue its ITAR-free satellite line in 2013 after the United States State Department fined a United States company for selling ITAR components.[8] Thales Alenia Space had long complained that "every satellite nut and bolt" was being ITAR-restricted, and the European Space Agency (ESA) accused the United States of using ITAR to block exports to China instead of protecting technology.[9] In 2016, an official at the United States Bureau of Industry and Security confirmed that "no U.S.-origin content, regardless of significance, regardless of whether it is incorporated into a foreign-made item, can go to China". The European aerospace industry is working on developing replacements for United States satellite components.[10]

Return to success[]

After the failures of 1992–1996, the troublesome Long March 2E was withdrawn from the market. Design changes were made to improve the reliability of Long March rockets. From October 1996 to April 2009, the Long March rocket family delivered 75 consecutive successful launches, including several major milestones in space flight:

  • On 15 October 2003, the Long March 2F rocket successfully launched the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft, carrying China's first astronaut into space. China became the third nation with independent human spaceflight capability, after the Soviet Union/Russia and the United States.
  • On 1 June 2007, Long March rockets completed their 100th launch overall.
  • On 24 October 2007, the Long March 3A successfully launched (10:05 UTC) the "Chang'e 1" lunar orbiting spacecraft from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

The Long March rockets have subsequently maintained an excellent reliability record. Since 2010, Long March launches have made up 15–25% of all space launches globally. Growing domestic demand has maintained a healthy manifest. International deals have been secured through a package deal that bundles the launch with a Chinese satellite, circumventing the United States embargo.[11]

Payloads[]

The Long March is China's primary expendable launch system family. The Shenzhou spacecraft and Chang'e lunar orbiters are also launched on the Long March rocket. The maximum payload for LEO is 25,000 kilograms (CZ-5B), the maximum payload for GTO is 14,000 kg (CZ-5). The next generation rocket Long March 5 variants will offer more payload in the future.

Propellants[]

Long March 1's 1st and 2nd stage used nitric acid and Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) propellants, and its upper stage used a spin-stabilized solid rocket engine.

Long March 2, Long March 3, Long March 4, the main stages and associated liquid rocket boosters use dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) as the oxidizing agent and UDMH as the fuel. The upper stages (third stage) of Long March 3 rockets use YF-73 and YF-75 engines, using Liquid hydrogen (LH2) as the fuel and Liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidizer.

The new generation of Long March rocket family, Long March 5, and its derivations Long March 6, Long March 7 use LOX and kerosene as core stage and liquid booster propellant, with LOX and LH2 in upper stages.

Long March 11 is a solid-fuel rocket.

Variants[]

Long March 11Long March 8Long March 7ALong March 7Long March 6Long March 5BLong March 5Long March 4CLong March 4BLong March 4ALong March 3CLong March 3BLong March 3ALong March 3Long March 2FLong March 2ELong March 2DLong March 2CLong March 2ALong March 1DLong March 1

The Long March rockets are organized into several series:

There is no Long March 10.

Launch vehicles model series on MAKS-2021 airshow
Model Status Stages Length
(m) 		Max. diameter
(m) 		Liftoff mass
(t) 		Liftoff thrust
(kN) 		Payload
(LEO, kg) 		Payload (SSO, kg) Payload
(GTO, kg)
Long March 1 Retired 3 29.86 2.25 81.6 1020 300 - -
Long March 1D Retired 3 28.22 2.25 81.1 1101.2 930 - -
Long March 2A Retired 2 31.17 3.35 190 2,786 1,800 - -
Long March 2C Active 2 43.72 3.35 245 2,961.6 4,000 2,100 1,250
Long March 2D Active 2 41.056
(without shield)		 3.35 249.6 2,961.6 3,500 1,300 -
Long March 2E Retired [12] 2 (plus 4
Strap-on boosters)		 49.686 3.35 464 5,923.2 9,500 4,350 3,500
Long March 2F Active 2 (plus 4
Strap-on boosters)		 58.34 3.35 493 6512 8,800 - -
Long March 3 Retired [12] 3 44.9 3.35 205 2,961.6 5,000 - 1,600
Long March 3A Active 3 52.52 3.35 242 2,961.6 6,000 5,100 2,600
Long March 3B Retired [a] 3 (plus 4
Strap-on boosters)		 54.838 3.35 425.8 5,923.2 11,200 6,850 5,100
Long March 3B/E Active 3 (plus 4
Strap-on boosters)		 56.326 3.35 458.97 5923.2 11,500 7,100 5,500
Long March 3C Active 3 (plus 2
Strap-on boosters)		 55.638 3.35 345 4,442.4 9,100 6,450 3,900
Long March 4A Retired 3 41.9 3.35 241.1 2,961.6 3,800 1,600 -
Long March 4B Active 3 48 3.35 249.2 2,961.6 4,200 2,295 -
Long March 4C Active 3 48 3.35 249.2 2,961.6 4,200 2,947 1,500
Long March 5 [13][14] Active 2 (plus 4
Strap-on boosters
with optional
upper stage)		 57 5 867 10620 25,000 - 14,400
Long March 5B Active 1 (plus 4
Strap-on boosters)		 53.7 5 837.5 10620 25,000 - -
Long March 6 [15][16] Active 3 29 3.35 1200 1500 500 - -
In development 2 (plus 4
Strap-on boosters)		 50 3.35 530 ? ? 4,000 -
Long March 7 Active 2 (plus 4
Strap-on boosters)		 53 3.35 597 7,200 14,000 5,500 -[citation needed]
Long March 7A Active 3 (plus 4
Strap-on boosters)		 60.13 3.35 573 7,200 ? ? 7,800
Long March 8 Active 2 (plus 2
Strap-on boosters)		 50.3 3.35 356.6 4,800 7,600 4,500 2,500
Long March 9 In development 3 (plus 0-4 Strap-on boosters) 93-110[17] 10 [18] 3,997 57,600 140,000 - -
Long March 11 Active 4 solid 20.8 ~2 58 ? 700 350 -
2A 2C 2D 2E 2F 3 3A 3B 3C 4A 4B 4C
CZ-2A.svg CZ-2C.svg CZ-2D.svg CZ-2E.svg CZ-2F.svg CZ-3.svg CZ-3A.svg CZ-3B.svg CZ-3C.svg CZ-4A.svg CZ-4B.svg CZ-4C.svg

Long March 8[]

Main article: Long March 8

A new series of launch vehicles in study, which is geared towards Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) launches.[19] In early 2017, it was expected to be based on the Long March 7, and have two solid fuel boosters, and first launch by the end of 2018.[20] By 2019, it was intended to be partially reusable. The first stage will have legs and grid fins (like Falcon 9) and it may land with side boosters still attached.[21] Long March 8 was rolled out to for a test launch on or around 20 December 2020 and launched on 22 December 2020.[22]

Future development[]

Long March 9[]

Comparison of super heavy-lift launch vehicles. Masses listed are the maximum payload to low Earth orbit in metric tons.
Main article: Long March 9

The Long March 9 (LM-9, CZ-9, or Changzheng 9, Chinese: 长征九号) is a Chinese super-heavy carrier rocket concept proposed in 2018 [23] that is currently in study. It is planned for a maximum payload capacity of 140,000 kg [24] to low Earth orbit (LEO), 50,000 kg to trans-lunar injection or 44,000 kg to Mars.[25][26] Its first flight is expected in 2030 in preparation for a lunar landing sometime in the 2030s;[27] a sample return mission from Mars has been proposed as first major mission.[26] It has been stated that around 70% of the hardware and components needed for a test flight are currently undergoing testing, with the first engine test to occur by the end of 2018. The proposed design would be a three-staged rocket, with the initial core having a diameter of 10 meters and use a cluster of four engines. Multiple variants of the rocket have been proposed, CZ-9 being the largest with four liquid-fuel boosters with the aforementioned LEO payload capacity of 140,000 kg, CZ-9A having just two boosters and a LEO payload capacity of 100,000 kg, and finally CZ-9B having just the core stage and a LEO payload capacity of 50,000 kg.[17] Approved in 2021, the Long March 9 is classified as a super heavy-lift launch vehicle.[27]

921 rocket[]

The "921 rocket" is under development for crewed lunar missions. The rocket has no official name; the nickname "921" refers to the founding date of China's human spaceflight program. Like the Long March 5, it uses 5-meter (16.4 ft) diameter rocket bodies and YF-100K engines, although with 7 engines on each of 3 cores.[28] The launch weight is about 2200 tonnes, delivering 25 tonnes into trans-lunar injection.[29] The proposed crewed lunar mission uses two rockets; the crewed spacecraft and lunar landing stack launch separately and rendezvous in lunar orbit.[30] Development was announced at the 2020 China Space Conference.[29] As of 2021, the first flight of this triple-cored rocket is targeted for 2025.[27]

Origins[]

The Long March 1 rocket is derived from earlier Chinese 2-stage Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) DF-4, or Dong Feng 4 missile, and Long March 2, Long March 3, Long March 4 rocket families are derivatives of the Chinese 2-stage Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) DF-5, or Dong Feng 5 missile. However, like its counterparts in both the United States and in Russia, the differing needs of space rockets and strategic missiles have caused the development of space rockets and missiles to diverge. The main goal of a launch vehicle is to maximize payload, while for strategic missiles increased throw weight is much less important than the ability to launch quickly and to survive a first strike. This divergence has become clear in the next generation of Long March rockets, which use cryogenic propellants in sharp contrast to the next generation of strategic missiles, which are mobile and solid fuelled.

The next generation of Long March rocket, Long March 5 rocket family, is a brand new design, while Long March 6 and Long March 7 can be seen as derivations because they use the liquid rocket booster design of Long March 5 to build small-to-mid capacity launch vehicles.

Launch sites[]

There are four launch centers in China. They are:

  • Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
  • Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center
  • Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site
  • Xichang Satellite Launch Center

Most of the commercial satellite launches of Long March vehicles have been from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, located in Xichang, Sichuan province. Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan province is under expansion and will be the main launch center for future commercial satellite launches. Long March launches also take place from the more military oriented Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province from which the crewed Shenzhou spacecraft also launches. Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center is located in Shanxi province and focuses on the launches of Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) satellites.

On 5 June 2019, China launched a Long March 11 rocket from a mobile launch platform in the Yellow Sea.[31]

Commercial launch services[]

China markets launch services under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (China Great Wall Industry Corporation).[32] Its efforts to launch communications satellites were dealt a blow in the mid-1990s after the United States stopped issuing export licenses to companies to allow them to launch on Chinese launch vehicles out of fear that this would help China's military. In the face of this, Thales Alenia Space built the Chinasat-6B satellite with no components from the United States whatsoever. This allowed it to be launched on a Chinese launch vehicle without violating United States International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) restrictions.[33] The launch, on a Long March 3B rocket, was successfully conducted on 5 July 2007.

A Chinese Long March 2D launched VRSS-1 (Venezuelan Remote Sensing Satellite-1) of Venezuela, "Francisco de Miranda" on 29 September 2012.

Notes[]

  1. ^ CZ-3B last flown in September 2012 on flight 22 of the combined CZ-3B and CZ-3B/E launch list; subsequent 43 flights in said list (to February 2020) have all been of the CZ-3B/E variant.

See also[]

  • China National Space Administration
  • Shenzhou spacecraft
  • Space program of China
  • Tsien Hsue-shen
  • Comparison of orbital launchers families
  • Comparison of orbital launch systems
  • Kaituozhe launcher
  • Kuaizhou launcher

References[]

  1. ^ Stevenson, Richard W. (16 September 1988). "Shaky Start for Rocket Business". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  2. ^ Zinger, Kurtis J. (2014). "An Overreaction that Destroyed an Industry: The Past, Present, and Future of U.S. Satellite Export Controls" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ "CZ-2E Space Launch Vehicle". globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  4. ^ Lan, Chen. "Mist around the CZ-3B disaster, part 1". The Space Review. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Zelnio, Ryan (9 January 2006). "A short history of export control policy". The Space Review. Archived from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  6. ^ Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (1999). "Commercial Space Transportation Quarterly Launch Report" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ^ Harvey, Brian (2013). China in Space: The Great Leap Forward. New York: Springer. pp. 160–162. ISBN 9781461450436.
  8. ^ Ferster, Warren (5 September 2013). "U.S. Satellite Component Maker Fined US$8 Million for ITAR Violations". SpaceNews.
  9. ^ de Selding, Peter B. (9 August 2013). "Thales Alenia Space: U.S. Suppliers at Fault in "ITAR-free" Misnomer". SpaceNews.
  10. ^ de Selding, Peter B. (14 April 2016). "U.S. ITAR satellite export regime's effects still strong in Europe". SpaceNews.
  11. ^ Henry, Caleb (22 August 2017). "Back-to-back commercial satellite wins leave China Great Wall hungry for more". SpaceNews.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "CZ". Astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  13. ^ "cz5". SinoDefence. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008.
  14. ^ "CZ-NGLV". astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008.
  15. ^ "China starts developing Long March 6 carrier rockets for space mission". Xinhuanet News. 6 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  16. ^ "ChangZheng 6 (Long March 6) Launch Vehicle". SinoDefence.com. 20 February 2009. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "China Aims for Humanity's Return to the Moon in the 2030s". popsci.com. 5 May 2016. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  18. ^ "China develops new rocket for crewed moon mission". Space Daily. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  19. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. ^ Jones (February 2017). "hina is aiming to launch a new Long March 8 rocket". gbtimes.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  21. ^ Meet the Long March 8 - January 2020 Archived 20 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine Includes CGI image of first stage landing
  22. ^ Jones, Andrew (18 December 2020). "China rolls out Long March 8 rocket for weekend test flight". SpaceNews. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  23. ^ Jones, Andrew (5 July 2018). "China reveals details for super-heavy-lift Long March 9 and reusable Long March 8 rockets". SpaceNews. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  24. ^ "First Look: China's Big New Rockets". AmericaSpace. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 20 January 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  25. ^ "梁小虹委员：我国重型运载火箭正着手立项 与美俄同步". scitech.people.com.cn. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b "China reveals details for super-heavy-lift Long March 9 and reusable Long March 8 rockets". 5 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b c Berger, Eric (24 February 2021). "China officially plans to move ahead with super-heavy Long March 9 rocket". Ars Technica. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  28. ^ Lund, J. (7 October 2020). "China's Mysterious Manned Moon Rocket".
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b Jones, Andrew (1 October 2020). "China is building a new rocket to fly its astronauts on the Moon". SPACE.com.
  30. ^ Jones, Andrew (30 October 2020). "China outlines architecture for future crewed moon landings". SpaceNews.
  31. ^ "China Gains New Flexible Launch Capabilities with First Sea Launch". Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  32. ^ "About CGWIC". CGWIC. Archived from the original on 8 July 2008.
  33. ^ "China launches satellite despite restrictions". USA Today. 6 July 2007. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2010.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""