Long March (rocket family)

The Long March program began in the 1960s as part of China's effort to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles. The first vehicle, Long March 1 (CZ-1), was based on the DF-4 missile and launched China's first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1, on April 24, 1970.¹ The early Long March 2 series, derived from the DF-5 ICBM, became the basis for crewed spaceflight. The Long March 2F, with its escape tower and enhanced reliability, has launched all Shenzhou missions since 1999.²

Over five decades, the Long March family has diversified into multiple series tailored to different payloads and orbits. The Long March 3 series introduced cryogenic upper stages for geostationary transfers, enabling communications satellite launches. The Long March 4 series serves sun-synchronous orbit missions, including weather and reconnaissance satellites.³ The next-generation Long March 5, 6, 7, and 8 use modular designs with kerosene-liquid oxygen and hydrogen-oxygen engines, increasing payload capacity and environmental friendliness. The Long March 5, with a 25-tonne LEO capacity, launched the Chang'e 5 lunar sample-return and Tianhe core module of the Chinese Space Station.

Long March rockets launch from three primary sites: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (Inner Mongolia), Xichang Satellite Launch Center (Sichuan), and Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (Shanxi). The Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan Island, operational since 2016, was built for the larger Long March 5 and 7, taking advantage of its coastal location for easier transport of large stages.⁴ Each site has specialized pads and support facilities, with Wenchang featuring two pads for the new-generation vehicles.

The Long March family has enabled landmark achievements: the first crewed spaceflight (Shenzhou 5, 2003), the first spacewalk (Shenzhou 7, 2008), the first lunar orbiter (Chang'e 1, 2007), the first lunar lander and rover (Chang'e 3, 2013), the first lunar far-side landing (Chang'e 4, 2019), and the first lunar sample return since 1976 (Chang'e 5, 2020).⁵ It also launched the Tianhe core module (2021) and subsequent modules for the Chinese Space Station, which became operational in 2022.

Beyond the headline missions, the Long March family has several niche facets. The Long March 1 was based on the DF-4 missile, and its third stage used a solid rocket motor. The Long March 2E, an early 1990s variant, suffered a notable failure in 1992 that destroyed an Optus satellite, leading to design changes. The Long March 11 is a solid-fueled vehicle capable of sea launches from a mobile platform, first demonstrated in 2019. The Long March 8, designed for rapid response and commercial launches, made its first flight in 2020. Additionally, the Long March 5B, a variant without an upper stage, is used to launch large modules and has been criticized for uncontrolled reentries of its core stage, as seen in 2021.⁶

CALT

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the primary developer of Long March rockets.

LEO

Low Earth Orbit, an orbit around Earth with an altitude typically below 2,000 km.

Cryogenic

Relating to very low temperatures; cryogenic engines use liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

Sun-synchronous orbit

A polar orbit that maintains a consistent local solar time, useful for imaging and weather satellites.