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Long March 8

Long March 8
Rendering of Long March 8 Y1
FunctionOrbital launch vehicle
ManufacturerChina Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)
Country of originChina
Size
Height
  • Standard: 50.34 m (165.2 ft)
  • Core only: 48 m (157 ft)[1]
  • CZ-8A: 50.5 m (166 ft)[2]
Diameter3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Mass
  • Standard: 356,000 kg (785,000 lb)
  • Core only: 198,000 kg (437,000 lb)[1]
  • CZ-8A: 371,000 kg (818,000 lb)[2]
Stages2
Capacity
Payload to SSO 700 km
Mass
  • Standard: 5,000 kg (11,000 lb)
  • Core only: 3,000 kg (6,600 lb)[1]
  • CZ-8A: 7,000 kg (15,000 lb)[3]
Payload to LEO
Mass8,100 kg (17,900 lb)
Payload to GTO
Mass2,800 kg (6,200 lb)
Payload to TLI
Mass1,500 kg (3,300 lb)
Associated rockets
ComparableSoyuz-2
Antares
Falcon 9 (RTLS reusable)
Atlas V 501
Ariane 62
H3-30
Launch history
StatusActive
Launch sitesWenchang LC-2
Wenchang Commercial LC-1
Total launches3
Success(es)3
First flight22 December 2020
Last flight20 March 2024
Boosters (Standard) – K2 booster
No. boosters2 or 0
Height26.903 m (88.26 ft)
Diameter2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)
Powered by1 YF-100
Maximum thrustSea level: 1,200 kN (270,000 lbf)
Vacuum: 1,340 kN (300,000 lbf)
Total thrustSea level: 4,800 kN (1,100,000 lbf)
Vacuum: 5,360 kN (1,200,000 lbf)
Specific impulseSea level: 300 s (2.9 km/s)
Vacuum: 335 s (3.29 km/s)
PropellantRP-1 / LOX
First stage – K3 core module
Height25.083 m (82.29 ft)
Diameter3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Powered by2 YF-100
Maximum thrustSea level: 2,400 kN (540,000 lbf)
Vacuum: 2,680 kN (600,000 lbf)
Specific impulseSea level: 300 s (2.9 km/s)
Vacuum: 335 s (3.29 km/s)
PropellantRP-1 / LOX
Second stage (CZ-8)
Height12.375 m (40.60 ft)
Diameter3.0 m (9.8 ft)
Powered by2 YF-75
Maximum thrust167.17 kN (37,580 lbf)
Specific impulse438 s (4.30 km/s)
PropellantLH2 / LOX
Second stage (CZ-8A)
Height12.375 m (40.60 ft)
Diameter3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Powered by2 YF-75H
Maximum thrust200 kN (45,000 lbf)
Specific impulse442.6 s (4.340 km/s)
PropellantLH2 / LOX
[edit on Wikidata]

Long March 8 (Chinese: 长征八号运载火箭) is an orbital launch vehicle developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology to launch up to 5000 kg to a 700 km altitude Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).[4] The rocket is based on the Long March 7 with its first stage and two boosters, along with the existing liquid hydrogen burning third stage of the Long March 3A/3B/3C and 7A as its second stage. The boosters are omitted in the "core only" variant that first flew on its second launch in February 2022.[1]

A planned future launch vehicle variant of the Long March 8 will be partially reusable by featuring a combined booster recovery of the first stage and the boosters as a single unit.[5]

The maiden flight of the Long March 8 was launched on 22 December 2020 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site.[6]

CZ-8A variant

An upgraded version of the Long March 8, the Long March 8A (Chinese: 长征八号甲运载火箭), will debut in 2024 with increased capability of up to 7 tonnes to a 700 km altitude sun-synchronous orbit. It implements a larger 3.35 meters diameter liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen second stage, coupled with 2 upgraded version of the YF-75D engines (known as the YF-75H) with increased thrust to 10 tonnes each through measures such as increased turbopump speeds. The Long March 8A can also use a larger 5.2 meters diameter payload fairing.

Launch statistics

2
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
  •   Failure
  •   Partial failure
  •   Success
  •   Planned

List of launches

Main article: List of Long March launches
S.no Flight number Date
(UTC) 		Variant Launch site Payload Orbit Outcome
1 Y1 22 December 2020
04:37[6][7] 		Standard Wenchang, LC-2 Xinjishu Yanzheng 7 (XJY-7)
Haisi-1
Tianqi Xingzuo 08 (Ping'an-1)
Yuanguang-1
ET-SMART-RSS (Zhixing-1A) 		SSO Success
2 Y2 27 February 2022
03:06[8] 		Core only[8] Wenchang, LC-2 Dayun (Xingshidai-17)
Hainan-1 01, 02
Jilin-1 Gaofen-03D 10–18
Jilin-1 Mofang-02A 01
Qimingxing-1
Taijing-3 01
Taijing-4 01
Tianxian-1 (Chaohu-1)
Chuangxing Leishen
Wenchang-1 01, 02
XD-1
Tianqi-19 		SSO Success
3 Y3 20 March 2024
00:31[9] 		Standard Wenchang, LC-2 Queqiao-2
Tiandu-1
Tiandu-2 		Selenocentric Success
4 Y5 Late 2024 [10] Standard Wenchang Commercial, LC-1 TBA LEO Planned
5 Y1 January 2025[11] 8A Wenchang Commercial, LC-1 TBA LEO Planned

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "长征八号遥二运载火箭飞行试验取得圆满成功". people.cn (in Chinese (China)). 27 February 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b Zhengyu, Song; Lidong, Liu; Xiaofei, Chen; Shanshu, Xu; Yitian, Wu (April 2023). "Development and Key Technologies of Long March 8 Family: China's Next-generation Medium-lift Launchers". Journal of Astronautics. 44 (4): 476–485. doi:10.3873/j.issn.1000-1328.2023.04.002. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  3. ^ "长征八号改进型火箭二子级暨通用氢氧末级全系统试车成功！长征八号改进型火箭今年首飞 (All-Systems testing of upgraded Long March 8 second stage/universal LH2/LOX upper stage a success! Upgraded Long March 8 will first launch this year)" (in Chinese). CALT. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  4. ^ 贾平凡 (28 December 2020). "长征八号首飞成功 中国运载火箭家族再添新成员" (in Simplified Chinese). 新华社. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  5. ^ Jones, Andrew (30 April 2018). "China to test rocket reusability with planned Long March 8 launcher". SpaceNews. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b Jones, Andrew (22 December 2020). "China launches first Long March 8 from Wenchang spaceport". SpaceNews. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  7. ^ "长征八号运载火箭首次飞行试验取得圆满成功" [First Long March 8 rocket test flight was a complete success]. CNSA (in Chinese). 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  8. ^ a b Jones, Andrew (27 February 2022). "China launches national record 22 satellites on Long March 8 commercial rideshare". SpaceNews. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  9. ^ "China launches new relay satellite for Earth-Moon communications". Xinhua. 20 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  10. ^ "长征八号运载火箭完成转场合练，海南商发一号发射工位将迎来首飞任务" [Long March 8 rocket completed pad dress rehearsal ahead of first launch from Wenchang Commercial Launch Site Pad No. 1]. Sina.com. 8 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  11. ^ "长征八号甲运载火箭模型将首次亮相中国航展，计划 2025 年 1 月首飞" [Long March 8A rocket model will appear at the China Airshow for the first time; first launch planned for January 2025]. Sina.com. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
Quelle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_March_8A