Jielong 3

Jielong 3
Maiden launch of Jielong-3
FunctionSmall orbital launch vehicle
ManufacturerCALT
Country of originChina
Size
Height31 m (102 ft)
Diameter2.64 m (8.7 ft)
Mass145,000 kg (320,000 lb)
Stages4
Capacity
Payload to SSO 500 km
Mass1,500 kg (3,300 lb)
Associated rockets
ComparableJielong 1, Minotaur I
Pegasus
Start-1
Electron
Launch history
StatusActive
Launch sitesSpecial converted barge, Yellow Sea
Total launches4
Success(es)4
First flight9 December 2022
Last flight24 September 2024

Jielong 3 (Chinese: 捷龙三号运载火箭, meaning "agile dragon", also known as Smart Dragon 3, SD-3), is a solid fueled orbital launch vehicle developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology's subsidiary China Rocket to launch up to 1500 kg to a 500 km altitude Sun-synchronous orbit. The rocket is 31 meters tall, 2.65 meters in diameter and weighs 145 metric tons. It is a solid fuel, 4 stage orbital rocket.[1] The fairing diameter is 3.35 m. It uses the same rocket motors as the Zhongke-1 (ZK-1, Lijian-1) rocket.

The maiden flight of Jielong 3 on 9 December 2022, 06:35 UTC was successful. It delivered fourteen small satellites into polar orbit. The satellites were Jilin-1 Gaofen-03D-44-50 and Pingtai-01A01, HEAD 2H, Jinzijing Qilu-1 05 and 06, Tianqi 07, Huoju 1 (Torch 1) and CAS 5A. The launch took place from a floating platform off Yantai, Shandong.

  1. ^ "Jielong-3 (Smart Dragon-3, SD 3)". Gunter's Space Page.