Long March 2F
![]() The Long March 2F rocket rolled out to the launch site for Shenzhou 12 | |
Function | Crew-rated orbital launch vehicle |
---|---|
Manufacturer | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) |
Country of origin | China |
Size | |
Height | 62 m (203 ft) [1] |
Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) [1] |
Mass | 464,000 kg (1,023,000 lb) [1] |
Stages | 2 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | 8,400 kg (18,500 lb) [1] |
Associated rockets | |
Family | Long March 2 |
Launch history | |
Status | Active |
Launch sites | Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, SLS |
Total launches | 15 |
Success(es) | 15 |
First flight | 19 November 1999 |
Last flight | 17 June 2021 |
Boosters | |
No. boosters | 4 |
Length | 15.3 m (50 ft) |
Diameter | 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) |
Empty mass | 3,200 kg (7,100 lb) |
Gross mass | 41,000 kg (90,000 lb) |
Engines | 1 YF-20B per booster |
Thrust | 814 kN (183,000 lbf) |
Total thrust | 3,256 kN (732,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 291 s (2.85 km/s) |
Burn time | 128 seconds |
Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
First stage | |
Length | 23.7 m (78 ft) |
Diameter | 3.4 m (11 ft) |
Empty mass | 9,500 kg (20,900 lb) |
Gross mass | 196,500 kg (433,200 lb) |
Engines | 4 YF-20B |
Thrust | 3,256 kN (732,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 291 s (2.85 km/s) |
Burn time | 166 seconds |
Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
Second stage | |
Length | 13.5 m (44 ft) |
Diameter | 3.4 m (11 ft) |
Empty mass | 5,500 kg (12,100 lb) |
Gross mass | 91,500 kg (201,700 lb) |
Engines | 1 YF-24B |
Thrust | 831 kN (187,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 289 s (2.83 km/s) |
Burn time | 300 seconds |
Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/CZ-2F.svg/220px-CZ-2F.svg.png)
The Long March 2F (Chinese: 长征二号F火箭 Changzheng 2F), also known as the CZ-2F, LM-2F and Shenjian (神箭, "the Divine Arrow"),[1] is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket, part of the Long March 2 rocket family. Designed to launch crewed Shenzhou (spacecraft), the Long March 2F is a human-rated two-stage version of the Long March 2E rocket, which in turn was based on the Long March 2C launch vehicle.[2] It is launched from complex SLS at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Long March 2F made its maiden flight on 19 November 1999, with the Shenzhou 1 spacecraft. After the flight of Shenzhou 3, CPC General Secretary and President Jiang Zemin named the rocket "Shenjian" meaning "Divine Arrow".[3]
On 15 October 2003, a Long March 2F launched Shenzhou 5, China's first human spaceflight. It has since launched the Shenzhou 6, Shenzhou 7, Shenzhou 9, Shenzhou 10, Shenzhou 11 and Shenzhou 12 missions into orbit.[4][5]
Differences from the Long March 2E[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Shenzhou-12_roll_out_02.png/220px-Shenzhou-12_roll_out_02.png)
Externally, the rocket is similar to the Long March 2E from which it was derived. Most of the changes involve the addition of redundant systems to improve safety, although there are some structural modifications that allow the rocket to support the heavier fairing required by the Shenzhou capsule. The rocket is also capable of lifting heavier payloads with the addition of extra boosters to the first stage.[6]
The rocket also has an "advanced fault monitoring and diagnosis system to help the astronauts escape in time of emergency" (in other words, a launch escape system), and is the first Chinese made rocket to be assembled and rolled out to its launch site vertically.[7]
A derivative called Long March 2F/G, first launched in 2011, was designed to launch space laboratories such as Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2. It dispenses with the launch escape system and supports a larger fairing to accommodate the bulkier payloads.[8]
Vibration issues[]
During the Shenzhou 5 flight, Yang Liwei became unwell due to heavy vibrations from the rocket. Although the problem was reduced somewhat by modifications to the rocket, vibrations were reported again in Shenzhou 6 necessitating further changes. According to , chief designer of the Long March 2F "We made changes to the pipelines of the rocket engine, adjusting its frequency. A new design for the pressure accumulator produced evident results. The vibration has now been reduced by more than 50%".[citation needed]
The predecessor Long March 2E had also been known for vibration. During two launches, excessive vibration caused the collapse of the payload fairing, destroying the Optus B2 and Apstar 2 satellites.[9] After the payload fairing was redesigned, excessive vibration also damaged the AsiaSat 2 satellite during launch. The Long March 2E was withdrawn from the geostationary launch market a year later.[10]
List of launches[]
Flight number | Serial number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Crew | Result | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Y1 | 19 November 1999 22:30 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 1 | LEO | N/A | Success | First uncrewed test of the Shenzhou spacecraft |
2 | Y2 | 9 January 2001 17:00 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 2 | LEO | N/A | Success | Second uncrewed test of the Shenzhou spacecraft, carried live animals. |
3 | Y3 | 25 March 2002 14:15 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 3 | LEO | N/A | Success | Third uncrewed test of the Shenzhou spacecraft. |
4 | Y4 | 29 December 2002 16:40 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 4 | LEO | N/A | Success | Final uncrewed test of the Shenzhou spacecraft prior to flying with crew. |
5 | Y5 | 15 October 2003 01:00 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 5 | LEO | ![]() |
Success | China's first crewed spaceflight. |
6 | Y6 | 12 October 2005 01:00 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 6 | LEO | ![]() ![]() |
Success | Second crewed spaceflight, first with two astronauts. |
7 | Y7 | 25 September 2008 13:10 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 7 | LEO | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Success | First flight with three crew members, first to feature extravehicular activity. |
8 | T1 | 29 September 2011 13:16 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Tiangong 1 | LEO | N/A | Success | The first Chinese space station. Modified version Long March 2F/G with larger payload fairing.[8] |
9 | Y8 | 31 October 2011 21:58 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 8 | LEO | N/A | Success | Uncrewed spaceflight to test automatic rendezvous and docking with Tiangong-1 |
10 | Y9 | 16 June 2012 10:37 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 9 | LEO | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Success | Three crew members, to test rendezvous and docking with Tiangong-1. |
11 | Y10 | 11 June 2013 09:38 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 10 | LEO | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Success | Three crew members; rendezvous and docking with Tiangong-1. |
12 | T2 | 15 September 2016 14:04 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Tiangong 2 | LEO | N/A | Success | Second Chinese space laboratory Tiangong-2, launched by 2F/G variant. |
13 | Y11 | 16 October 2016 23:30 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 11 | LEO | ![]() ![]() |
Success | Two crew members;[11] rendezvous and docking with Tiangong-2 for a 30-day mission. |
14 | T3 | 4 September 2020 07:30 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Reusable Experimental Spacecraft[12] | LEO | N/A | Success | Test flight of a reusable experimental spacecraft.[12][13] |
15 | Y12 | 17 June 2021 01:22 |
LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 12 | LEO | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Success | Three crew members; first visit Tianhe, the first module of the Chinese Space Station, for a three-month mission. |
16 | Y13 | 16 October 2021 | LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | Shenzhou 13 | LEO | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Planned | Three crew members; planned to visit Tianhe, to continue construction of the space station, for a six-month mission.[14] |
17 | Y14 | 31 May 2022 | LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | LEO | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Planned | Three crew members; rendezvous and docking with the Chinese space station for a six-month mission.[15] | |
18 | Y15 | 30 November 2022 | LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | LEO | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Planned | Three crew members; rendezvous and docking with the Chinese space station for a six-month mission.[16] | |
19 | Y16 | June 2023 | LA-4/SLS-1, JSLC | LEO | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Planned | Three crew members; will deliver the first long-duration crew to the Chinese Space Station. |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Mark Wade. "CZ-2F". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
- ^ "LM-2F - Launch Vehicle". CGWIC. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
- ^ "CZ". Astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
- ^ "China to launch Shenzhou 7 spacecraft on Thursday". news.xinhuanet.com. English Xinhua. 24 September 2008. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
- ^ "China's Shenzhou 11 blasts off on space station mission". BBC News. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Long March 2F - Summary". spaceandtech.com. 20 November 1999. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
- ^ [1] Archived May 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jump up to: a b Jones, Morris (27 January 2016). "Last Launch for Long March 2F/G". Space Daily. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
The principal difference between the Shenzhou-launching Long March 2F and its 2F/G cousin is easy to spot. The 2F/G carries a very different payload fairing at its top. This accounts. for the larger dimensions of the Tiangong laboratory, which wouldn't fit inside the standard payload fairing for the 2F.
It also lacks an emergency escape system. With no astronauts on board, the escape rocket and stabilizer panels that help Shenzhou spacecraft to separate from their rocket in a launch failure are not needed. This simplifies the design and also reduces the weight of the rocket. That's critical. Tiangong modules weigh more than Shenzhou spacecraft, so this helps to keep the overall launch mass within performance limits. - ^ Zinger, Kurtis J. (2014). "An Overreaction that Destroyed an Industry: The Past, Present, and Future of U.S. Satellite Export Controls" (PDF). Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help) - ^ "CZ-2E Space Launch Vehicle". GlobalSecurity.org.
- ^ Huang, Jin (8 March 2016). "Why will Shenzhou-11 carry only two astronauts to space?". People's Daily Online. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "我国成功发射可重复使用试验航天器" [My country successfully launched a reusable experimental spacecraft]. Xinhuanet. 4 September 2020.
- ^ https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50274.msg2079224#new
- ^ "长征二号F/G Y13 • 神舟十三号载人飞船 • LongMarch 2F/G Y13 • Shenzhou-13". spaceflightfans.cn (in Chinese). 21 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "长征二号F • 神舟十四号载人飞船(2022年待定)" [Long March 2F • Shenzhou-14 (2022 TBD)]. spaceflightfans.cn (in Chinese). 21 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "长征二号F • 神舟十五号载人飞船(2022年待定)" [Long March 2F • Shenzhou-15 (2022 TBD)]. spaceflightfans.cn (in Chinese). 21 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Long March 2F. |
- Shenzhou program
- Long March (rocket family)
- Vehicles introduced in 1999