The moment of the ignition of CZ-6A Y1
| |
| 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 | Taiyuan LA-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 |
The Long March 6A (Chinese: 长征六号甲运载火箭) or Chang Zheng 6A as in pinyin, abbreviated LM 6A for export or CZ 6A within China, is a Chinese launch vehicle of the Long March family, which was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) [4] and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST).
The vehicle is a further development of the Long March 6, with 2 YF-100 engines on the first stage as opposed to 1 on the Long March 6, augmented by 4 solid 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 the Long 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 in Taiyuan.
1
2
2022
2023
2024
| Flight number | Serial number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y1 | 29 March 2022 09:50[5] |
Taiyuan, LA-9A | Pujiang-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? | 18 July 2024 23:00 |
Taiyuan, LA-9A | TBA | SSO | Planned |
| 8 | Y? | 5 August 2024 03:00 |
Taiyuan, LA-9A | G60 × 18 | SSO | Planned |
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]
