Long March 3A

Rendering of Long March 3A
FunctionCarrier rocket
ManufacturerCALT
Country of originChina
Cost per launchUS$70 million[1]
Size
Height52.52 metres (172.3 ft)[2]
Diameter3.35 metres (11.0 ft)[2]
Mass241,000 kilograms (531,000 lb)[2]
Stages3
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass8,500 kilograms (18,700 lb)[3][4]
Payload to GTO
Mass2,600 kilograms (5,700 lb)[5][3]
Payload to HCO
Mass1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb)[3][4]
Associated rockets
FamilyLong March
Derivative workLong March 3B
Long March 3C
Launch history
StatusPossible Retired, 6 years ago last launch
Launch sitesLA-2 & LA-3, XSLC
Total launches27[5]
Success(es)27[5]
First flight8 February 1994[5]
Last flight9 July 2018
First stage
Height23.272 m
Diameter3.35 m
Propellant mass171,800 kg (378,800 lb)
Powered by4 YF-21C
Maximum thrust2,961.6 kN (665,800 lbf)
Specific impulse2,556.5 m/s (260.69 s)
Burn time148 s
PropellantN2O4 / UDMH
Second stage
Height11.276 m
Diameter3.35 m
Propellant mass32,600 kg (71,900 lb)
Powered by1 YF-24E
(1 x YF-22E (Main))
(4 x YF-23C (Vernier))
Maximum thrust742 kN (167,000 lbf) (Main)
47.1 kN (10,600 lbf) (Vernier)
Specific impulse2,922.57 m/s (298.019 s) (Main)
2,910.5 m/s (296.79 s) (Vernier)
Burn time115 s
PropellantN2O4 / UDMH
Third stage
Height12.375 m
Diameter3.0 m
Propellant mass18,200 kg (40,100 lb)
Powered by2 YF-75[6]
Maximum thrust167.17 kN (37,580 lbf)
Specific impulse4,295 m/s (438.0 s)
Burn time475 s
PropellantLH2 / LOX

The Long March 3A (Chinese: 长征三号甲火箭), also known as the Chang Zheng 3A, CZ-3A and LM-3A, is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket design. It is a 3-stage rocket, and is usually used to place communications satellites and Beidou navigation satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbits.

It has formed the basis of the Long March 3B, which is a heavier version with four liquid booster rockets.

Long March 3A launch
  1. ^ "Surplus Missile Motors: Sale Price Drives Potential Effects on DOD and Commercial Launch Providers | U.S. GAO".
  2. ^ a b c Mark Wade. "CZ-3A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  3. ^ a b c "LM-3A Series Launch Vehicle User's Manual - Issue 2011" (PDF). China Great Wall Industries Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
  4. ^ a b Gunter Krebs. "CZ-3A (Chang Zheng-3A)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  5. ^ a b c d "LM-3A". China Great Wall Industry Corporation. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  6. ^ "Long March 3C/E - Rockets". Spaceflight101.com. Retrieved 2016-11-25.