The Long March 3C (simplified Chinese: 长征三号丙火箭; traditional Chinese: 長征三號丙火箭; pinyin: Chángzhēng Sānhào Bǐng Huǒjiàn), also known as the Changzheng 3C, CZ-3C and LM-3C, is a Chinese orbital launch vehicle. It is launched from Launch Complex 2 and 3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC). A three-stage rocket with two strapon liquid rocket boosters, it is a member of the Long March 3 rocket family, and was derived from the Long March 3B. It was designed to fill a gap in payload capacities between the Long March 3A and 3B.
 Rendering of Long March 3C | |
| Function | Launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | CALT |
| Country of origin | China |
| Size | |
| Height | |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) [1] |
| Mass | 345,000 kg (761,000 lb) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | 3C: 8,000 kg (18,000 lb) [3] 3C/E: 8,000 kg (18,000 lb)[2] |
| Payload to GTO | |
| Mass | 3C: 3,800 kg (8,400 lb) [4][5] 3C/E: 3,900 kg (8,600 lb) |
| Payload to HCO | |
| Mass | 2,400 kg (5,300 lb) [4][5] |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Long March |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | XSLC, LA-2 and LA-3 |
| Total launches | 18 |
| Success(es) | 18 |
| First flight |
|
| Last flight |
|
| Type of passengers/cargo | |
| Boosters (3C) | |
| No. boosters | 2 |
| 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 (8,386 ft/s) |
| Burn time | 127 seconds |
| Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
| Boosters (3C/E) | |
| No. boosters | 2 |
| 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 (8,386 ft/s) |
| Burn time | 140 seconds |
| Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
| First stage (3C) | |
| 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 (8,387 ft/s) |
| Burn time | 145 seconds |
| Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
| First stage (3C/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 (8,387 ft/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) 4 x YF-23C (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 (14,090 ft/s) |
| Burn time | 487 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 |
Launch Statistics
edit- Failure
- Partial failure
- Success
- Planned
Launches
editIt made its maiden flight on 25 April 2008, at 15:35 UTC. The payload for the first launch was the Tianlian I-01 data relay communications satellite. The second carried the Compass-G2 navigation satellite and was conducted on 14 April 2009. The third launch was made on 16 January 2010, with the Compass-G1 satellite. The fourth carrying the Compass-G3 navigation satellite was launched on 2 June 2010. On 1 October 2010, it successfully launched China's second lunar probe, Chang'e 2.
An enhanced version, named Long March 3C/E, debuted during the launch of Chang'e 5-T1 on 23 October 2014.[6] On 30 March 2015, the Yuanzheng upper stage was used on top of a Long March 3C launch vehicle for the first time.[7]
List of launches
edit| Flight number | Serial number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Version | Payload | Orbit | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y1 | 25 April 2008 15:35 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Tianlian I-01 | GTO | Success |
| 2 | Y3 | 14 April 2009 16:16 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G2 | GTO | Success |
| 3 | Y2 | 16 January 2010 16:12 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G1 | GTO | Success |
| 4 | Y4 | 2 June 2010 15:53 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G3 | GTO | Success |
| 5 | Y7 | 1 October 2010 10:59 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Chang'e 2 | LTO | Success |
| 6 | Y5 | 31 October 2010 16:26 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G4 | GTO | Success |
| 7 | Y8 | 11 July 2011 15:41 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Tianlian I-02 | GTO | Success |
| 8 | Y6 | 24 February 2012 16:12 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G5 | GTO | Success |
| 9 | Y9 | 25 July 2012 15:43 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Tianlian I-03 | GTO | Success |
| 10 | Y10 | 25 October 2012 15:33 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C | Compass-G6 | GTO | Success |
| 11 | Y12 | 23 October 2014 18:00 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C/E | Chang'e 5-T1 | LTO | Success |
| 12 | Y11 | 30 March 2015 13:52 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C / Yuanzheng | BDS I1-S | GSO | Success |
| 13 | Y14 | 1 February 2016 07:29 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C / Yuanzheng | BDS M3-S | MEO | Success |
| 14 | Y15 | 12 June 2016 15:30 |
XSLC, LA-3 | 3C/E | Compass-G7 | GTO | Success |
| 15 | Y13 | 22 November 2016 15:24 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C/E | Tianlian I-04 | GTO | Success |
| 16 | Y17 | 24 December 2018 16:53 |
XSLC, LA-3 | 3C/E | TJS-3 | GTO | Success |
| 17 | Y16 | 17 May 2019 15:48 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C/E | Compass-G8 | GTO | Success |
| 18 | Y18 | 6 July 2021 15:53 |
XSLC, LA-2 | 3C/E | Tianlian I-05 | GTO | Success |
References
edit- ^ a b Wade, Mark. "CZ-3C". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 1 June 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
- ^ a b "Long March 3C/E | Tianlian 1D". Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ "Long March 3C | Chang'e 2". Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ a b "LM-3A Series Launch Vehicle User's Manual - Issue 2011" (PDF). China Great Wall Industries Corporation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ a b Gunter Krebs. "CZ-3C (Chang Zheng-3C)". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 28 November 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
- ^ Barbosa, Rui C. (23 October 2014). "China launches lunar sample return test mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ Barbosa, Rui C. (30 March 2015). "Long March 3C in secretive launch with new Upper Stage". NASASpaceFlight.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
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