Long March 3B

Long March 3B
	Rendering of Long March 3B
Function	Launch vehicle
Manufacturer	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)
Country of origin	China
Cost per launch	US$50-70 million
Size
Height	3B: 54.8 m (180 ft) ; 3B/E: 56.3 m (185 ft) ;
Diameter	3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Mass	3B: 425,800 kg (938,700 lb); 3B/E: 458,970 kg (1,011,860 lb) ;
Stages	3 / 4
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass	11,500 kg (25,400 lb)
Payload to SSO
Mass	7,100 kg (15,700 lb)
Payload to GTO
Mass	3B: 5,100 kg (11,200 lb) ; 3B/E: 5,500 kg (12,100 lb) ;
Payload to GEO
Mass	2,000 kg (4,400 lb)
Payload to HCO
Mass	3,300 kg (7,300 lb)
Associated rockets
Family	Long March
Derivative work	Long March 3C
Comparable	Atlas V; Delta IV; Falcon 9 (reusable); GSLV Mk III; H-IIA; Zenit-3F;
Launch history
Status	3B: Retired (have opportunity to launch TianWen-2 in 2025); 3B/E: Active;
Launch sites	Xichang LC-2, LC-3
Total launches	100 3B: 12; 3B/E: 88; ;
Success(es)	96 3B: 10; 3B/E: 86; ;
Failure(s)	2; 3B: 1 (Intelsat 708); 3B/E: 1 (Palapa-N1);
Partial failure(s)	2; 3B: 1 (Palapa-D); 3B/E: 1 (ChinaSat 9A);
First flight	3B: 14 February 1996 (Intelsat 708); 3B/E: 13 May 2007 (NigComSat-1);
Last flight	3B: 18 September 2012 (Compass M5, M6); 3B/E: 3 December 2024; (Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-13);
Type of passengers/cargo	Chang'e 3, Chang'e 4, BeiDou, ChinaSat
Boosters (3B)
No. boosters	4
Height	15.33 m (50.3 ft)
Diameter	2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)
Propellant mass	37,700 kg (83,100 lb)
Powered by	1 × YF-25
Maximum thrust	740.4 kN (166,400 lbf)
Specific impulse	2,556.2 m/s (260.66 s)
Burn time	127 seconds
Propellant	N2O4 / UDMH
Boosters (3B/E)
No. boosters	4
Height	16.1 m (53 ft)
Diameter	2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)
Propellant mass	41,100 kg (90,600 lb)
Powered by	1 × YF-25
Maximum thrust	740.4 kN (166,400 lbf)
Specific impulse	2,556.2 m/s (260.66 s)
Burn time	140 seconds
Propellant	N2O4 / UDMH
First stage (3B)
Height	23.27 m (76.3 ft)
Diameter	3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Propellant mass	171,800 kg (378,800 lb)
Powered by	4 × YF-21C
Maximum thrust	2,961.6 kN (665,800 lbf)
Specific impulse	2,556.5 m/s (260.69 s)
Burn time	145 seconds
Propellant	N2O4 / UDMH
First stage (3B/E)
Height	24.76 m (81.2 ft)
Diameter	3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Propellant mass	186,200 kg (410,500 lb)
Powered by	4 × YF-21C
Maximum thrust	2,961.6 kN (665,800 lbf)
Specific impulse	2,556.5 m/s (260.69 s)
Burn time	158 seconds
Propellant	N2O4 / UDMH
Second stage
Height	12.92 m (42.4 ft)
Diameter	3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Propellant mass	49,400 kg (108,900 lb)
Powered by	1 × YF-24E YF-22E (Main); YF-23F (Vernier); ;
Maximum thrust	742 kN (167,000 lbf) (Main); 47.1 kN (10,600 lbf) (Vernier);
Specific impulse	2,922.57 m/s (9,588.5 ft/s) (Main); 2,910.5 m/s (9,549 ft/s) (Vernier);
Burn time	185 seconds
Propellant	N2O4 / UDMH
Third stage
Height	12.38 m (40.6 ft)
Diameter	3.0 m (9.8 ft)
Propellant mass	18,200 kg (40,100 lb)
Powered by	2 × YF-75
Maximum thrust	167.17 kN (37,580 lbf)
Specific impulse	4,295 m/s (438.0 s)
Burn time	478 seconds
Propellant	LH2 / LOX
Fourth stage (optional) – YZ-1
Powered by	1 × YF-50D
Maximum thrust	6.5 kN (1,500 lbf)
Specific impulse	315.5 s (3.094 km/s)
Propellant	N2O4 / UDMH
	[edit on Wikidata]

The Long March 3B (Chinese: 长征三号乙; pinyin: Chángzhēng sānhàoyǐ), also known as the CZ-3B and LM-3B, is a Chinese orbital launch vehicle. Introduced in 1996, it is launched from Launch Area 2 and 3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan. A three-stage rocket with four strap-on liquid rocket boosters, it is the heaviest variant of the Long March 3 rocket family, and is mainly used to place communications satellites and navigation satellites into geosynchronous orbits.

An enhanced version, the Long March 3B/E or G2, was introduced in 2007 to increase the rocket's geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) cargo capacity and lift heavier geosynchronous orbit (GEO) communications satellites. The Long March 3B also served as the basis for the medium-capacity Long March 3C, which was first launched in 2008.

As of 3 December 2024^[update], the Long March 3B, 3B/E and 3B/G5 have conducted 96 successful launches, plus 2 failures and 2 partial failures, accumulating a success rate of 96%. It is the first Long March series rocket to accumulate 100 orbital launches.

History

The development of the Long March 3B began in 1986 to meet the needs of the international GEO communications satellite market. During its maiden flight, on 14 February 1996 carrying the Intelsat 708 satellite, the rocket suffered a guidance failure two seconds into the flight and destroyed a nearby town, killing at least six people,^[8] but outside estimates suggest that anywhere between 200 and 500 people might have been killed.^[9] However, the author of the report^[9] later ruled out large casualties, because evidence suggest that the crash site was evacuated before the launch.^[10]

The Long March 3B and 3B/E rockets conducted ten successful launches between 1997 and 2008.^[5]

In 1997, the Agila 2 satellite was forced to use onboard propellant to reach its correct orbit because of poor injection accuracy on the part of its Long March 3B launch vehicle.^[11] In 2009, a Long March 3B partially failed during launch due to a third stage anomaly, which resulted in the Palapa-D satellite reaching a lower orbit than planned.^[12] Nonetheless, the satellite was able to maneuver itself into the planned orbit. The Long March 3B and its variants remain in active use as of January 2021^[update], having conducted a total of 26 consecutive successful launches, since 19 June 2017 until 9 March 2020.

In December 2013, a Long March 3B/E successfully lifted Chang'e 3, China's first Lunar lander and rover into the projected lunar-transfer orbit.

In April 2020, the third stage of the Long March 3B/E failed during a Palapa-N1 communications satellite mission; this was the first total failure of the Long March 3B/E.^[13]

Design and variants

The Long March 3B is based on the Long March 3A as its core stage, with four liquid boosters strapped on the first stage. It has a low Earth orbit (LEO) cargo capacity of 11,200 kg (24,700 lb) and a GTO capacity is 5,100 kg (11,200 lb).

Long March 3B/E

The Long March 3B/E, also known as 3B/G2, is an enhanced variant of the Long March 3B, featuring an enlarged first stage and boosters, increasing its GTO payload capacity to 5,500 kg (12,100 lb).^[14] Its maiden flight took place on 13 May 2007, when it successfully launched Nigeria's NigComSat-1, the first African geosynchronous communications satellite. In 2013, it successfully launched China's first lunar lander Chang'e 3 and lunar rover Yutu.

Since 2015, the Long March 3B and 3C can optionally accommodate a YZ-1 upper stage, which has been used to carry dual launches or BeiDou navigation satellites into medium Earth orbit (MEO).

Long March 3C

A modified version of the Long March 3B, the Long March 3C, was developed in the mid-1990s to bridge the gap in payload capacity between the Long March 3B and 3A. It is almost identical to the Long March 3B, but has two boosters instead of four, giving it a reduced GTO payload capacity of 3,800 kg (8,400 lb). Its maiden launch took place on 25 April 2008.

Launch statistics

2.5

5

7.5

10

12.5

15

1996

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

Failure
Partial failure
Success
Planned

List of launches

Flight number	Serial number	Date (UTC)	Launch site	Version	Payload	Orbit	Result
1	Y1	14 February 1996 19:01	XSLC, LA-2	3B	Intelsat 708	GTO	Failure
2	Y2	19 August 1997 17:50	XSLC, LA-2	3B	Agila-2	GTO	Success
3	Y3	16 October 1997 19:13	XSLC, LA-2	3B	APStar 2R	GTO	Success
4	Y5	30 May 1998 10:00	XSLC, LA-2	3B	Chinastar 1	GTO	Success
5	Y4	18 July 1998 09:20	XSLC, LA-2	3B	SinoSat 1	GTO	Success
6	Y6	12 April 2005 12:00	XSLC, LA-2	3B	APStar 6	GTO	Success
7	Y7	28 October 2006 16:20	XSLC, LA-2	3B	SinoSat 2	GTO	Success
8	Y9	13 May 2007 16:01	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	NigComSat-1	GTO	Success
9	Y10	5 July 2007 12:08	XSLC, LA-2	3B	ChinaSat 6B	GTO	Success
10	Y11	9 June 2008 12:15	XSLC, LA-2	3B	ChinaSat 9	GTO	Success
11	Y12	29 October 2008 16:53	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Venesat-1	GTO	Success
12	Y8	31 August 2009 09:28	XSLC, LA-2	3B	Palapa-D	GTO	Partial Failure
13	Y13	4 September 2010 16:14	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	SinoSat 6	GTO	Success
14	Y20	20 June 2011 16:13	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 10	GTO	Success
15	Y19	11 August 2011 16:15	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Paksat-1R	GTO	Success
16	Y16	18 September 2011 16:33	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 1A	GTO	Success
17	Y18	7 October 2011 08:21	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Eutelsat W3C	GTO	Success
18	Y21	19 December 2011 16:41	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	NigComSat-1R	GTO	Success
19	Y22	31 March 2012 10:27	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	APStar 7	GTO	Success
20	Y14	29 April 2012 20:50	XSLC, LA-2	3B	Compass-M3 Compass-M4	MEO	Success
21	Y17	26 May 2012 15:56	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 2A	GTO	Success
22	Y15	18 September 2012 19:10	XSLC, LA-2	3B	Compass-M5 Compass-M6	MEO	Success
23	Y24	27 November 2012 10:13	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 12	GTO	Success
24	Y25	1 May 2013 16:06	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 11	GTO	Success
25	Y23	1 December 2013 17:30	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Chang'e 3	TLI	Success
26	Y27	20 December 2013 16:42	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Túpac Katari 1	GTO	Success
27	Y26	25 July 2015 12:29	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou M1-S BeiDou M2-S	MEO	Success
28	Y32	12 September 2015 15:42	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	TJS-1	GTO	Success
29	Y33	29 September 2015 23:13	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	BeiDou I2-S	GTO	Success
30	Y36	16 October 2015 16:16	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	APStar 9	GTO	Success
31	Y34	3 November 2015 16:25	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	ChinaSat 2C	GTO	Success
32	Y38	20 November 2015 16:07	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	LaoSat-1	GTO	Success
33	Y31	9 December 2015 16:46	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	ChinaSat 1C	GTO	Success
34	Y37	28 December 2015 16:04	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Gaofen 4	GTO	Success
35	Y29	15 January 2016 16:57	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	Belintersat-1	GTO	Success
36	Y35	5 August 2016 16:22	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	Tiantong 1-01	GTO	Success
37	Y42	10 December 2016 16:11	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	Fengyun-4A	GTO	Success
38	Y39	5 January 2017 15:18	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	TJS-2	GTO	Success
39	Y43	12 April 2017 11:04	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Shijian 13	GTO	Success
40	Y28	19 June 2017 16:11	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Chinasat 9A	GTO	Partial failure
41	Y46	5 November 2017 11:45	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M1 BeiDou-3 M2	MEO	Success
42	Y40	10 December 2017 16:40	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Alcomsat-1	GTO	Success
43	Y45	11 January 2018 23:18	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M7 BeiDou-3 M8	MEO	Success
44	Y47	12 February 2018 05:03	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M3 BeiDou-3 M4	MEO	Success
45	Y48	29 March 2018 17:56	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M9 BeiDou-3 M10	MEO	Success
46	Y55	3 May 2018 16:06	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Apstar 6C	GTO	Success
47	Y49	29 July 2018 01:48	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M5 BeiDou-3 M6	MEO	Success
48	Y50	24 August 2018 23:52	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M11 BeiDou-3 M12	MEO	Success
49	Y51	19 September 2018 14:07	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M13 BeiDou-3 M14	MEO	Success
50	Y52	15 October 2018 04:23	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M15 BeiDou-3 M16	MEO	Success
51	Y41	1 November 2018 15:57	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	BeiDou-3 G1	GTO	Success
52	Y53	18 November 2018 18:07	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M17 BeiDou-3 M18	MEO	Success
53	Y30	7 December 2018 18:23	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Chang'e 4	TLI	Success
54	Y56	10 January 2019 17:11	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 2D	GTO	Success
55	Y54	9 March 2019 16:28	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	ChinaSat 6C	GTO	Success
56	Y44	31 March 2019 15:51	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Tianlian 2-01	GTO	Success
57	Y59	20 April 2019 14:41	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	BeiDou-3 I1	GTO	Success
58	Y60	24 June, 2019 18:09	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	BeiDou-3 I2	GTO	Success
59	Y58	19 August 2019 12:03	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 18	GTO	Success
60	Y65	22 September 2019 21:10	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M23 BeiDou-3 M24	MEO	Success
61	Y57	17 October 2019 15:21	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	TJS-4	GTO	Success
62	Y61	4 November 2019 17:43	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	BeiDou-3 I3	GTO	Success
63	Y66	23 November 2019 00:55	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M21 BeiDou-3 M22	MEO	Success
64	Y67	16 December 2019 07:22	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M19 BeiDou-3 M20	MEO	Success
65	Y62	7 January 2020 15:20	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	TJS-5	GTO	Success
66	Y69	9 March 2020 11:55	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	BeiDou-3 G2	GTO	Success
67	Y71	9 April 2020 11:46	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Palapa-N1 (Nusantara Dua)	GTO	Failure ^[15]
68	Y68	23 June 2020 01:43 ^[16]	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	BeiDou-3 G3	GTO	Success
69	Y64	9 July 2020 12:11 ^[17]	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Apstar 6D	GTO	Success
70	Y63	11 October 2020 16:57 ^[18]	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Gaofen-13	GTO	Success
71	Y73	12 November 2020 15:59 ^[19]	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Tiantong 1-02	GTO	Success
72	Y70	6 December 2020 03:58	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	Gaofen-14	SSO	Success
73	Y74	19 January 2021 16:25	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Tiantong 1-03	GTO	Success
74	Y77	4 February 2021 15:36	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	TJS-6	GTO	Success
75	Y72	2 June 2021 16:17	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Fengyun 4B	GTO	Success
76	Y76	5 August 2021 16:30	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 2E	GTO	Success
77	Y78	24 August 2021 15:41	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	TJS-7	GTO	Success
78	Y86	9 September 2021 11:50	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 9B	GTO	Success
79	Y81	27 September 2021 08:20	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Shiyan 10	GTO	Success^[20]
80	Y83	24 October 2021 01:27:03	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Shijian-21	GTO	Success
81	Y79	26 November 2021 16:40:04	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 1D	GTO	Success
82	Y82	13 December 2021 16:09	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	Tianlian II-02	GTO	Success
83	Y84	29 December 2021 16:43	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	TJS-9	GTO	Success
84	Y89	15 April 2022 12:00	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 6D	GTO	Success
85	Y85	12 July 2022 16:30	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Tianlian II-03	GTO	Success
86	Y91	5 November 2022 11:50	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 19	GTO	Success
87	Y88	29 December 2022 04:43	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Shiyan 10-02	GTO	Success
88	Y93	23 February 2023 11:49	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 26	GTO	Success
89	Y90	17 March 2023 08:33	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Gaofen 13-02	GTO	Success
90	Y87	17 May 2023 02:49	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	BeiDou-3 G4	GTO	Success
91	Y92	12 August 2023 17:26	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Ludi Tance-4 01A	GTO	Success
92	Y94	9 November 2023 11:23	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 6E	GTO	Success
93	Y75	26 December 2023 03:26	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M26 BeiDou-3 M28	MEO	Success
94	Y95	29 February 2024 13:03	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Weixing Hulianwang Gaogui-01	GTO	Success
95	Y96	9 May 2024 01:43	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Zhihui Tianwang 1-01A Zhihui Tianwang 1-01B	MEO	Success
96	Y98	30 May 2024 12:12	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Paksat-MM1R	GTO	Success
97	Y97	1 August 2024 13:14	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Weixing Hulianwang Gaogui-02	GTO	Success
98	Y80	19 September 2024 01:14	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E + YZ-1	BeiDou-3 M25 BeiDou-3 M27	MEO	Success
99	Y99	10 October 2024 13:50	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Weixing Hulianwang Gaogui-03	GTO	Success
100	Y103	3 December 2024 05:56	XSLC, LA-3	3B/E	TJS-13	GTO	Success
101	Y?	20 December 2024 15:10	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Weixing Hulianwang Gaogui-04	GTO	Planned
102	Y?	Q1 2025	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 9C	GTO	Planned
	Y?	May 2025	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Tianwen-2	Heliocentric	Planned
	Y?	September 2025	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	Fengyun 4C	GTO	Planned
	Y?	2027	XSLC, LA-2	3B/E	ChinaSat 27	GTO	Planned

Flight mishaps and anomalies

Intelsat 708 launch failure

On 14 February 1996, the launch of the first Long March 3B with Intelsat 708 failed just after liftoff when the launch vehicle veered off course and exploded when it hit the ground at T+23 seconds.

The Xinhua news agency reported that six people were killed and 57 injured. However, the Americans on hand for the launch have testified that "dozens, if not hundreds", of people were seen to gather outside the centre's main gate near the crash site the night before launch.^[21] When reporters were being taken away from the site, they found that most buildings had sustained serious damage or had been flattened completely.^[21] Other eyewitnesses were noted as having seen dozens of ambulances and many flatbed trucks, loaded with what could have been human remains, being taken to the local hospital.^[21]

The cause of the accident was traced to short-circuiting of the vehicle's guidance platform at liftoff.^[22]

The participation of Space Systems/Loral in the accident investigation caused great political controversy in the United States. In 1997, the U.S. Defense Technology Security Administration found that China had obtained "significant benefit" from the Review Committee, results of which would improve their "launch vehicles ... ballistic missiles and in particular their guidance systems".

As a result, the U.S. Congress reclassified satellite technology as a munition and placed it back under the restrictive International Traffic in Arms Regulations in 1998.^[23] No license to launch United States spacecraft on Chinese rockets has been approved by the U.S. State Department since then, and an official at the Bureau of Industry and Security emphasized in 2016 that "no U.S.-origin content, regardless of significance, regardless of whether it's incorporated into a foreign-made item, can go to China".^[24]

Palapa-D partial launch failure

On 31 August 2009, during the launch of Palapa-D, the third stage engine under-performed and placed the satellite into a lower than planned orbit. The satellite was able to make up the performance shortfall using its own engine and reach geosynchronous orbit, but with its lifetime shortened to 10.5 years from the originally projected 15–16 years. The investigation found that the failure was due to burn-through of the engine's gas generator, and that "the most likely cause of the burn-through was a foreign matter or humidity-caused icing in the engine's liquid-hydrogen injectors".^[25]

ChinaSat-9A partial launch failure

On 19 June 2017, a Long March 3B/E mission carrying ChinaSat-9A ended in partial failure. Officials did not release details regarding the status of the mission for at least 4 hours after liftoff.^[26] Two weeks later, on 7 July 2017, officials confirmed that the mission had been anomalous, with Space Daily reporting that "an anomaly was found on the carrier rocket's rolling control thruster, part of the attitude control engine, during the third gliding phase". The failure in the rocket's third stage left the payload in a lower than intended orbit, and the payload was forced to spend two weeks reaching its intended orbit under its own power.^[27]

Palapa-N1 (Nusantara Dua) launch failure

On 9 April 2020, a Long March 3B launcher failed after lifting off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Sichuan province at 11:46 UTC during the launch of an Indonesian communications satellite, Palapa-N1 (Nusantara Dua) of a mass of 5500 kg and was expected to enter service in geostationary orbit at 113.0° East, replacing the Palapa-D satellite. But one of the two YF-75 third stage engines failed to ignite, preventing the Palapa-N1 (Nusantara Dua) satellite from reaching orbit.^[28] Wreckage from the third stage and the Palapa-N1 spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere, leading to sightings of fiery debris in the skies over Guam. With the Long March 3B failure, Chinese rockets have faltered on two missions in less than a month. A Long March 7A rocket failed to place a satellite in orbit on 16 March 2020 after taking off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on Hainan Island, located in southern China.^[29] After two Chinese launch failures in less than a month, further Chinese launches will be likely delayed until it is sure that the quality control is satisfactory.^[30]

Rocket debris

Debris from Long March 3B launches have fallen on nearby villages due to the inland location of China's launch sites. Grid fins for guiding boosters down to Earth more accurately have been tested on Long March 2C and 4B, but not yet on 3B.^[31]

Notable payloads

Beidou
Chang'e 3
Chang'e 4
Eutelsat W3C
TJS-5
Apstar 6C
Chinasat 9A
Chinasat 6C
Palapa-D
Fengyun 4B
NigComSat-1
Tiantong 1-03
Gaofen 14

References

^ "Cheap, reusable space launchers are still years away for Chinese military". 24 March 2021.
^ "How GSLV compares in the international launch market?". 29 July 2019.
^ "Long March 3B".
^ ^a ^b Mark Wade. "CZ-3B". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "LM-3B". China Great Wall Industry Corporation. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "LM-3A Series Launch Vehicle User's Manual - Issue 2011" (PDF). China Great Wall Industries Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Gunter Krebs. "CZ-3B (Chang Zheng-3B)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
^ Select Committee of the United States House of Representatives (3 January 1999). "Satellite Launches in the PRC: Loral". U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 23 May 2012. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ ^a ^b Lan, Chen. "Mist around the CZ-3B disaster". The Space Review. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
^ Lan, Chen. "Mist around the CZ-3B disaster (part 2)". The Space Review. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
^ International reference guide to space launch systems. Fourth edition. p. 243. ISBN 1-56347-591-X
^ ""帕拉帕－Ｄ"通信卫星未能进入预定轨道". Xinhuanet. 31 August 2009. Archived from the original on 4 September 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
^ Barbosa, Rui C. (9 April 2020). "Long March 3B fails during Indonesian satellite launch". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
^ "LM-3B". China Great Wall Industry Corporation. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
^ Jing, Zhan (9 April 2020). "PALAPA-N1卫星发射失利". xinhuanet.com.
^ "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
^ "High-throughput communications satellite launched from China". Spaceflight Now. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
^ "China launches Gaofen-13 observation satellite towards geostationary orbit". SpaceNews. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
^ Barbosa, Rui C. (12 November 2020). "Long March 3B lofts second Tiantong-1 spacecraft". nasaspaceflight.com. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
^ Beil, Adrian (17 October 2021). "Chinese Shiyan-10 satellite raises its orbit after initial problems". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lan, Chen. "Mist around the CZ-3B disaster, Part 1". The Space Review. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
^ "Satellite Launches in the PRC: Loral". CNN. 25 May 1999. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
^ Zelnio, Ryan (9 January 2006). "A short history of export control policy". The Space Review.
^ de Selding, Peter B. (14 April 2016). "U.S. ITAR satellite export regime's effects still strong in Europe". SpaceNews.
^ de Selding, Peter B. (19 November 2009). "Burn-through Blamed in China Long March Mishap". SpaceNews. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
^ "Zhongxing-9A Comsat lifts off atop Chinese Long March 3B, Launch Outcome Unclear – Spaceflight101". 18 June 2017.
^ "Chinese satellite Zhongxing-9A". Space Daily.
^ "Satelit Nusantara Dua Gagal Mengorbit, Siaran TV dan Radio Terancam Bermasalah".
^ https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/04/09/chinese-rocket-fails-during-launch-of-indonesian-communications-satellite/ - 9 April 2020
^ "China loses another: Long March 3B launch fails and Palapa-N1 falls into the drink". 9 April 2020.
^ Li, Michael Sheetz,Yun (26 November 2019). "'Adjust your location quickly' — How China warns residents before rockets crash down from space". cnbc.com. Retrieved 4 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

LM-3B User's Manual at GlobalSecurity.org
Long March-3B (LM-3B) Archived 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology

[1] "Cheap, reusable space launchers are still years away for Chinese military". 24 March 2021.

[2] "How GSLV compares in the international launch market?". 29 July 2019.

[3] "Long March 3B".

[EA-4] Mark Wade. "CZ-3B". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2008.

[cgwic.com-5] "LM-3B". China Great Wall Industry Corporation. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.

[CGWIC_User_Manual-6] "LM-3A Series Launch Vehicle User's Manual - Issue 2011" (PDF). China Great Wall Industries Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.

[GSP-7] Gunter Krebs. "CZ-3B (Chang Zheng-3B)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 26 April 2008.

[8] Select Committee of the United States House of Representatives (3 January 1999). "Satellite Launches in the PRC: Loral". U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 23 May 2012. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[ChenLan-9] Lan, Chen. "Mist around the CZ-3B disaster". The Space Review. Retrieved 18 January 2014.

[ChenLan2-10] Lan, Chen. "Mist around the CZ-3B disaster (part 2)". The Space Review. Retrieved 29 October 2014.

[11] International reference guide to space launch systems. Fourth edition. p. 243. ISBN 1-56347-591-X

[12] ""帕拉帕－Ｄ"通信卫星未能进入预定轨道". Xinhuanet. 31 August 2009. Archived from the original on 4 September 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2009.

[13] Barbosa, Rui C. (9 April 2020). "Long March 3B fails during Indonesian satellite launch". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 9 April 2020.

[14] "LM-3B". China Great Wall Industry Corporation. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2009.

[15] Jing, Zhan (9 April 2020). "PALAPA-N1卫星发射失利". xinhuanet.com.

[SFN20200622-16] "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.

[SFN20200709-17] "High-throughput communications satellite launched from China". Spaceflight Now. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.

[SpaceNews20201011-18] "China launches Gaofen-13 observation satellite towards geostationary orbit". SpaceNews. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.

[19] Barbosa, Rui C. (12 November 2020). "Long March 3B lofts second Tiantong-1 spacecraft". nasaspaceflight.com. Retrieved 13 November 2020.

[20] Beil, Adrian (17 October 2021). "Chinese Shiyan-10 satellite raises its orbit after initial problems". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.

[ChenLan1-21] Lan, Chen. "Mist around the CZ-3B disaster, Part 1". The Space Review. Retrieved 18 January 2014.

[cnn1999-22] "Satellite Launches in the PRC: Loral". CNN. 25 May 1999. Retrieved 8 August 2018.

[zenio2006-23] Zelnio, Ryan (9 January 2006). "A short history of export control policy". The Space Review.

[selding2016-24] Selding, Peter B. (14 April 2016). "U.S. ITAR satellite export regime's effects still strong in Europe". SpaceNews.

[25] Selding, Peter B. (19 November 2009). "Burn-through Blamed in China Long March Mishap". SpaceNews. Retrieved 10 August 2015.

[26] "Zhongxing-9A Comsat lifts off atop Chinese Long March 3B, Launch Outcome Unclear – Spaceflight101". 18 June 2017.

[27] "Chinese satellite Zhongxing-9A". Space Daily.

[28] "Satelit Nusantara Dua Gagal Mengorbit, Siaran TV dan Radio Terancam Bermasalah".

[29] ttps://spaceflightnow.com/2020/04/09/chinese-rocket-fails-during-launch-of-indonesian-communications-satellite/ - 9 April 2020

[30] "China loses another: Long March 3B launch fails and Palapa-N1 falls into the drink". 9 April 2020.

[31] Li, Michael Sheetz,Yun (26 November 2019). "'Adjust your location quickly' — How China warns residents before rockets crash down from space". cnbc.com. Retrieved 4 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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v t e Long March (rocket family)
Rockets	Feng Bao 1 Long March 1 1D Long March 2 2A 2C 2D 2E 2F Long March 3 3A 3B 3B/E 3C Long March 4 4A 4B 4C Long March 5 5B Long March 6 6A 6C Long March 7 7A Long March 8 8A Long March 9 Long March 10 Long March 11 11H Long March 12
Launch sites	Jiuquan Taiyuan Wenchang Commercial Xichang
Manufacturers	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology
Designers	Wang Xiji
List of Long March launches

v t e Orbital launch systems
List of orbital launch systems Comparison of orbital launch systems
Current	Angara 1.2 A5 Ariane 6 Atlas V Ceres 1 1S Chollima-1 Electron Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha Gravity-1 GSLV H-IIA H3 Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 3 KAIROS^† Kaituozhe 2 Kinetica 1 Kuaizhou 1 1A 11 Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 6A 7 7A 8 11 11H 12 LVM3 Minotaur I IV V C Nuri OS-M1^† Pegasus XL Proton-M PSLV Qaem 100 Qased Shavit 2 Simorgh SLS Block 1 Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB 2-1v SSLV Starship Tianlong-2 Unha Vega C Vulcan Centaur Zhuque 2
In development	Antares 330 Bloostar Cyclone-4M Deca Epsilon S Eris Gravity-2 Hyperbola-2 Irtysh Kuaizhou 21 31 Long March 9 10 Miura 5 MLV Neutron New Glenn New Line 1 NGLV Nova OS-M 2 4 Orbex Prime Pallas-1 Red Dwarf SLS Block 1B Block 2 Soyuz-7 Terran R Tianlong-3 VLM Vega E Zero Zhuque 3 Zuljanah
Retired	Antares 110 120 130^† 230 230+ Ariane 1 2 3 4 5 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able^† Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV IV Heavy Diamant Dnepr Energia Epsilon Europa I^† II^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos original 1 2/2I 3 3M Lambda 4S LauncherOne Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan^† Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Rocket 3 RS1^† Safir 1 1A 1B Saturn I IB V Scout X-1 Blue Scout II^† X-2^† X-2M X-3 X-3M X-4 X-2B^† B A B-1 D-1 A-1 E-1 F-1 G-1 Shavit original 1 SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Terran 1^† Thor Able Ablestar 1 2 Agena A B D Burner 1 2 Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena SLV-2G SLV-2H Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon R-36-O original 2 3 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard Vega original VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M 2FG 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque 1^†
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)

v t e Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
China National Space Administration Chinese space program
Missions	Chang'e 1 (Oct 2007) Chang'e 2 (Oct 2010) Chang'e 3 (Dec 2013) Yutu rover Chang'e 5-T1 (Oct 2014) Queqiao (relay satellite, May 2018) Chang'e 4 (Dec 2018) Yutu-2 rover Chang'e 5 (Nov 2020) Queqiao 2 (relay satellite, Mar 2024) Tiandu 1 and 2 Chang'e 6 (May 2024) Chang'e 7 (2026) Chang'e 8 (2028)
Launch vehicles	Long March 3A Long March 3B Long March 3C Long March 5 Long March 8
Facilities	Xichang Satellite Launch Center Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site
People	Zhang Qingwei Ouyang Ziyuan Ma Xingrui Ye Peijian
Category Commons