Long March 6A
Function | Launch vehicle |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology |
Country of origin | China |
Size | |
Height | 50 m (160 ft) |
Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
Mass | 530,000 kg (1,170,000 lb) |
Stages | 2 |
Capacity | |
Payload to 700 km (430 mi)SSO | |
Mass | 4,500 kg (9,900 lb) |
Associated rockets | |
Family | Long March |
Comparable | Antares Soyuz-2 |
Launch history | |
Status | Active |
Launch sites | TaiyuanLA-9A |
Total launches | 6 |
Success(es) | 6 |
First flight | 29 March 2022 |
Last flight | 4 July 2024 |
Boosters | |
No. boosters | 4 |
Diameter | 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in) |
Maximum thrust | 1,214 kN (273,000 lbf) |
Total thrust | 4,828 kN (1,085,000 lbf) |
Propellant | solid |
First stage | |
Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
Powered by | 2YF-100 |
Maximum thrust | 2,376 kN (534,000 lbf)[1] |
Specific impulse | 300 seconds (sea level) 335 seconds (vacuum)[2] |
Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
Second stage | |
Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
Powered by | 1YF-115 |
Maximum thrust | 180 kN (40,000 lbf)[1] |
Specific impulse | 341.5 seconds (vacuum)[3] |
Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
TheLong March 6A(Chinese:Trường chinh số 6 giáp tên lửa vận chuyển) orChang Zheng 6Aas inpinyin,abbreviatedLM 6Afor export orCZ 6Awithin China, is a Chineselaunch vehicleof theLong March family,which was developed by theChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation(CASC)[4]and theShanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology(SAST).
The vehicle is a further development of theLong March 6,with 2YF-100engines on the first stage as opposed to 1 on the Long March 6, augmented by 4solid rocket boosters.The Long March 6A is China's first rocket with solid rocket boosters. There also exists a shorter boosterless variant of the 6A called theLong March 6C.
The maiden launch of the Long March 6A took place on March 29, 2022, successfully reaching orbit.[5]It was also the first launch from the newly built launch complex 9A inTaiyuan.
Launch statistics[edit]
- Failure
- Partial failure
- Success
- Planned
List of launches[edit]
Flight number | Serial number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Y1 | 29 March 2022 09:50[5] |
Taiyuan,LA-9A | Pu gian g-2 Tiankun-2 |
SSO | Success |
2 | Y2 | 11 November 2022 22:52 |
Taiyuan,LA-9A | Yunhai-301 | SSO | Success |
3 | Y5 | 10 September 2023 04:30 |
Taiyuan,LA-9A | Yaogan 40A Yaogan 40B Yaogan 40C |
LEO | Success |
4 | Y4 | 31 October 2023 22:50 |
Taiyuan,LA-9A | Tianhui 5A Tianhui 5B |
SSO | Success |
5 | Y3 | 26 March 2024 22:51 |
Taiyuan,LA-9A | Yunhai-302 | SSO | Success |
6 | Y7 | 4 July 2024 22:49 |
Taiyuan,LA-9A | Tianhui 5 02A Tianhui 5 02B |
SSO | Success |
7 | Y? | July 2024 | Taiyuan,LA-9A | TBA | SSO | Planned |
8 | Y? | 5 August 2024 03:00 |
Taiyuan,LA-9A | G60 × 18 | SSO | Planned |
Mishaps[edit]
After the release of the Yunhai 3 following the Y2 launch of 11 November 2022, the Long March 6's upper stage exploded and broke into more than 50 pieces of debris, which expanded to more than 350 pieces. The vehicle was supposed to re-enter in one piece and then burn up and it's unclear why it exploded instead.[6][7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abZHANG Wei-dong, WANG Dong-bao (2016). "New Generation Cryogenic Quick Launching Launch Vehicle and Development".Aerospace Shanghai.
- ^"Chinese YF-100 (Russian RD-120) to Power CZ-5".SPACEPAC, The Space Public Affairs Committee. Archived fromthe originalon 2017-10-25.Retrieved2015-07-02.
- ^"Trung Quốc tân một thế hệ dịch oxy dầu hoả động cơ 3: YF100/115 chủ yếu đặc tính - thâm không võng".shenkong.net(in Chinese). Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-04.Retrieved2016-04-11.
- ^"Development of China's new" Changzheng 6 "carrier rocket commences".People's Daily Online. 2009-09-04.Retrieved6 September2009.
- ^abBeil, Adrian (29 March 2022)."China debuts Chang Zheng 6A, teases more variants".NASASpaceFlight.Retrieved29 March2022.
- ^Jones, Andrew."Chinese rocket body breaks up in orbit after successful satellite launch".Space.Retrieved7 December2022.
- ^Passant, Rabie."Chinese Rocket Stage Now a Cloud of Orbital Debris After Disintegrating in Space".Retrieved22 March2023.