 Rendering of Long March 4B | |
| Function | Launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | SAST |
| Country of origin | China |
| Cost per launch | US$50 million (2006) [1] |
| Size | |
| Height | 44.1 m (145 ft)[1] |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft)[2] |
| Mass | 249,200 kg (549,400 lb)[2] |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | 4,200 kg (9,300 lb) [3] |
| Payload to SSO | |
| Mass | 2,800 kg (6,200 lb)[3] |
| Payload to GTO | |
| Mass | 1,500 kg (3,300 lb)[3] |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Long March |
| Derivative work | Long March 4C |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | |
| Total launches | 52 |
| Success(es) | 51 |
| Failure(s) | 1 |
| First flight | 10 May 1999 |
| Last flight | 13 November 2024 |
| First stage | |
| Height | 27.91 m (91.6 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 182,000 kg (401,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 4 YF-21C |
| Maximum thrust | 2,961.6 kN (665,800 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 2,550 m/s (8,400 ft/s) |
| Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
| Second stage | |
| Height | 10.9 m (36 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 52,700 kg (116,200 lb) |
| Powered by | 1 YF-24C (1 x YF-22C (Main)) (4 x YF-23C (Vernier)) |
| Maximum thrust | 742.04 kN (166,820 lbf) (Main) 47.1 kN (10,600 lbf) (Vernier) |
| Specific impulse | 2,942 m/s (9,650 ft/s) (Main) 2,834 m/s (9,300 ft/s) (Vernier) |
| Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
| Third stage | |
| Height | 14.79 m (48.5 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) |
| Propellant mass | 14,000 kg (31,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 2 YF-40 |
| Maximum thrust | 100.85 kN (22,670 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 2,971 m/s (9,750 ft/s) |
| Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
The Long March 4B (Chinese: 长征四号乙火箭), also known as the Chang Zheng 4B, CZ-4B, and LM-4B, is a Chinese expendable orbital launch vehicle. Launched from Launch Complex 1 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, it is a 3-stage launch vehicle, used mostly to place satellites into low Earth orbit and Sun-synchronous orbits. It was first launched on 10 May 1999, with the FY-1C weather satellite, which would later be the target in the 2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test.
The Chang Zheng 4B experienced its only launch failure on 9 December 2013, with the loss of the CBERS-3 satellite.[4]
- ^ Brian Harvey (2013). China in Space: The Great Leap Forward. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-4614-5043-6.
- ^ a b "CZ-4B". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
- ^ a b c "Long March-4B". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
- ^ Boadle, Anthony. "China-Brazil satellite launch fails, likely fell back to Earth". Reuters. Retrieved 10 December 2013.