Long March 6

Long March 6

Rendering of the Long March 6 launch vehicle
Function	Small launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology[1]
Country of origin	China
Size
Height	29 m (95 ft)
Diameter	3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Mass	103,000 kg (227,000 lb)
Stages	3 [2]
Capacity
Payload to 700 km (430 mi) SSO
Mass	1,080 kg (2,380 lb)
Associated rockets
Family	Long March
Comparable	Minotaur-C, PSLV-CA
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Taiyuan, LA-16
Total launches	12
Success(es)	12
First flight	19 September 2015 [3]
Last flight	5 September 2024
First stage
Diameter	3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Propellant mass	61,000 kg (134,000 lb) to 76,000 kg (168,000 lb)
Powered by	1 YF-100
Maximum thrust	1,188 kN (267,000 lbf) [4]
Specific impulse	300 seconds (sea level) 335 seconds (vacuum) [5]
Propellant	RP-1/LOX
Second stage
Diameter	2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)
Propellant mass	15,000 kg (33,000 lb)
Powered by	1 YF-115
Maximum thrust	180 kN (40,000 lbf) [4]
Specific impulse	341.5 seconds (vacuum) [6]
Propellant	RP-1/LOX
Third stage
Diameter	2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)
Powered by	1
Maximum thrust	6.5 kN (1,500 lbf) [4]
Specific impulse	306.9 seconds
Propellant	N2O4 / UDMH[4]
[edit on Wikidata]

The Long March 6 (Chinese: 长征六号运载火箭) or Chang Zheng 6 as in pinyin, abbreviated LM 6 for export or CZ 6 within China, is a Chinese liquid-fuelled launch vehicle of the Long March family, which was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) ^[7] and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST). The rocket was developed in the 2000s, and made its maiden flight in 2015.^[8] As one of the new generation rocket family, the Long March 6 was designed to be a light capacity, "high-speed response" rocket, complementing the heavy lift Long March 5 and the mid-heavy lift Long March 7 rocket families. It is capable of placing at least 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of payload into a Sun-synchronous orbit.^[9][8] The first stage of the Long March 6 was derived from the booster rockets being developed for the Long March 5 rocket. It is powered by a YF-100 engine, which generates 1,340 kN (300,000 lb_f) of thrust from burning kerosene and LOX as rocket fuel and oxidiser.^[8] This was the first flight of the new engine design.^[3]

An enlarged variant, the Long March 6A, which has four strap-on solid boosters, an elongated stage one, a new stage two with the same diameter as the first stage, and a payload capacity of at least 4000 kg to Sun-synchronous orbit, made its maiden flight on 29 March 2022.^[10] A further iteration named the Long March 6C with a slightly shorter length than the 6A and without the four strap-on solid boosters had its successful maiden launch on 7 May 2024.^[11]