Long March (rocket family)
| Long March family | |
|---|---|
 Comparative diagram of Long March rockets by 2021 | |
| General information | |
| Other name | 长征运载火箭 (Cháng Zhēng yùnzài huǒjiàn) |
| Type | Expendable and reusable launch system with various applications |
National origin |  China |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
| Status | 10+ variants active |
| Primary user | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation China National Space Administration China Manned Space Agency |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1970–2020s (decade) |
Introduction date | 1970 |
| First flight | April 24, 1970 |
Developed from | Dongfeng missile series |
| Variants | Long March 1 Long March 2 Long March 3 Long March 4 Long March 5 Long March 6 Long March 7 Long March 8 Long March 9 Long March 10 Long March 11 Long March 12 |
The Long March rocket family (Chinese: 长征运载火箭, romanized: Cháng Zhēng yùnzài huǒjiàn, lit. 'Long March launch vehicles') is a family of expendable and reusable carrier rockets operated by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The rockets are named after the Chinese Red Army's 1934–35 Long March military retreat during the Chinese Civil War.
The Long March series has performed more than 600 launches, the third most among active rocket families, to low Earth orbit, Sun-synchronous orbit, geostationary transfer orbit, trans-lunar, and trans-Mars injection. The Long March 2F is a human-rated vehicle which launches the Shenzhou craft. The Long March 5 has the greatest payload, at 25,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit, placing it in the heavy-lift launch vehicle class. It has launched the Tianwen-1 Mars probe and the Chang'e 6 and Chang'e 5 Moon probes. The Long March 10 is undergoing development and component testing as a launch vehicle for the Mengzhou and Lanyue crewed lunar vehicles.
The new-generation carrier rockets, Long March 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 use a liquid oxygen with a liquid hydrogen or kerosene fuel, while the older Long March 2, 3, and 4 use the hypergolic mixture of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide.
The early rockets in the family were derived from China's Dongfeng program of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. From 1988 to 1998, Long March rockets launched US commercial satellites, however failures carrying Apstar 2 and Intelsat 708 caused controversy in the US, resulting in such launches being prohibited under the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
Long March rockets typically launch commercial satellites from Xichang and Wenchang launch sites, military-related satellites and crewed craft from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and Sun-synchronous satellties from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.